No Distresses Should Keep Us From Praying
Meditation for the day taken from Everyday Prayer with John Calvin written by Donald McKim:
Scripture: Joel 2:28-32
The passage being considered today is one that has caused a great deal of theological discussion. Though I have my views as to the issues and timing regarding the Day of the Lord, what is essential to ponder are the words found in 2:32, "And it shall come to pass that everyone who calls on the name of the LORD shall be saved." Regardless of the exact nature of the calamity that the prophet is describing (and it is one of the highest calamity -- the judgment of the LORD), one thing is sure: God's people, the redeemed of the LORD, are protected by him and moved to call upon him while under great distress. That, after all, is what Christians do when faced with matters of great trial or circumstance. It may be a marriage that is collapsing. It may be a financial struggle with no relief in sight. It may be sickness, either usual and seasonal, or chronic pain that never seems to let up. It may be matters related to loved ones who do not know the Lord. It may be the impending collapse of a job, nation, or society. Whatever the issue, the people of the LORD are moved by the Spirit of the LORD to cry out to him.
Furthermore, as the Spirit moves us to cry out and pray, we do so with confidence. Calvin comments, "Since then God invites here the lost and the dead, there is no reason why even the heaviest distresses should preclude an access for us or for our prayers; for we ought to break through all these obstacles. The more grievous, then, our troubles are, the more confidence we ought to entertain, for God offers his grace, not only to the miserable, but also to those in utter despair." McKim adds, "This is the word of hope for us today. We can pray to God in the midst of the 'heaviest distresses.' The worse our troubles, the more confidence we should have in God's help." (68). God indeed gives grace to the poor and needy. It is also true that his grace is always sufficient for us in our time of distress. Therefore, whatever the issue, remember that the Lord moves us to pray, and, as we pray, we can have complete confidence that he hears us and sustains us within whatever circumstance we are facing.