Call on Me

I cry out to the Lord;

I plead for the Lord’s mercy.

I pour out my complaints before him

and tell him all my troubles.

When I am overwhelmed,

you alone know the way I should turn.

Wherever I go,

my enemies have set traps for me.

(Psalm 142:1-3)

"When I call on Jesus, all things are possible. I can mount on wings like eagles and soar. When I call on Jesus, mountains are gonna fall, 'cause He'll move heaven and earth to come rescue me when I call...." (Nicole C. Mullen - When I Call on Jesus"

I just love the book of Psalms. When I read it, I am reminded time and time again why david was considered "a man after God's own heart." He was constantly in pursuit of God and constantly longing for Him. He knew without a single doubt in his mind that all of God's promises were true. David knew that he could trust God, because God is always faithful. Through the Psalms, I have not only learned a lot about David, but I have also learned a lot about God and all that he is capable of. I have seen his character displayed through the real, raw, cries and pleas of David and the other Psalmists. When trouble came his way, David knew who to turn to. He knew who was powerful enough to change what was going on. He knew who would protect him from his enemies. He cried out to God telling him about everything that was troubling him. When he was overwhelmed, he knew that God was the only one who could help. Life can be pretty overwhelming at times. Sometimes my busy, hectic, schedule causes me to be overwhelmed. It is during those times that God has caused me to slow down and take a look at all that I have been doing. It makes me question whether or not I SHOULD be doing all that I am doing. Sometimes, God has used circumstances in my life to cause me to seek him and do nothing else, because I wasn't able to do anything else. I have a history of blood clots in my left leg. I was crazy busy, running around and serving God and others so much that I had very little time for spending time alone with God, or for myself, for that matter. Once my doctor noted that my continual leg pain was, in fact, from a blood clot... I was on bed rest. I wasn't able to be up walking around, or even driving, and definitely not working. So here I am in bed, with nothing to do. It took a few days of me whining and complaining that I had nothing to do until it dawned on me. Ummm... Hello! Didn't you want time to spend with God? Well, here you have it. You didn't get to go to a quiet remote location to do so, but your bedroom still will do. Open your eyes to see that now you have time to spend with him! Don't waste it watching TV, or complaining. Use it wisely! That wasn't the first time that God used blood clot induced pain in my legs for some time to seek Him and it may not be the last. God is the only one who is qualified to make sense out of the chaos that is our busy lives. That's right. He is the only one who is qualified. So, why is it that when we are stressed out, and overwhelmed, that God is not the first one we come running to? I am guilty of this. I have a tendency to run to other people when I am struggling rather than turning to God, who is powerful enough, and strong enough, and capable enough to handle me and the messes I make. When I was struggling and frustrated, God has made it so anyone that I called would not answer the phone, or call me back. Why? Because it was an opportunity for me to "pour out my complaints before Him and tell Him all my troubles." When I am overwhelmed, God really is the only one who can tell me which way to turn. Now, I am not saying that it is not a good thing to seek the wise counsel of others. What I am saying is that God wants you to come to HIM FIRST, and NOT as a LAST RESORT. I know I am not the only one who struggles with this. David continually came to God - in good times and in difficult times. When he was joyful, or when he was afraid - David came to God and poured out all his complaints and told God all his troubles. When is the last time you did that? When is the last time you came to God first instead of a friend or pastor? God is more than qualified to handle anything you could possible throw at him. Do you trust him enough to come to him and call on him first?