RESILIENCE
In my distress I called upon the Lord, and cried out to my Cod; He heard my voice from His temple and my cry came before Him, even to His ears» (Psalm 18:6).
Today’s verse tells us that God is with us and listens to our cry even if sometimes we feel the contrary. It is comforting to know that, in the midst of troubles, trials, and difficulties, the Lord hears our voice and that our clamor reaches His ears. In ancient Persia, during the reign of Ahasuerus, there was a law that sentenced to death whomever entered the inner court to see the King without being called (Esther 4:11). It must not have been a safety measure since the Queen herself was subject to the same law, as showed in Esther’s story.
What a huge contrast between that authoritarian rule and the attitude of the King of the Universe! Jesus patiently waits for us at the door; he waits for us to open it, to welcome Him in and to talk and dine with Him (Rev. 3:20). He Ion s for our company so much that even before we cry to Him, He is ready to respond (Isa. 65:24). Yes, we may suffer harsh but the Lord is willing to hear our voice, to come to our rescue and to be with us even in the bleakest moments.
Another lesson which can be drawn from today’s verse is the fact that God hears us from His temple. Of course, God is omnipresent and almighty and will hear us wherever we are, but the fact that the temple is mentioned specifically, reminds us that it is a blessing to be able to invoke God’s name in the temple, at church, and in the congregation of believers.
Amanda Nicholson, from University College London (UCL), carried out a study which was published in the scientific magazine Social Science & Medicine (vol. 69, 2009, 519-528) where she analyzed the data of about 40,000 subjects from 22 European countries, half of which were men and half were women. Among the men who responded, those who did not attend religious services were almost twice as likely to describe their health as poor compared to those who attended church at least once a week. Similar but somewhat lower results were seen in women. It seems obvious that both spirituality and health benefit from our meeting with God in church.
Today, spend time in prayer with the full certainty that God hears you. Also, try to attend church to worship God in the company of believers. You will notice surprising results.
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Taken from: Daily Devotions for Adults 2020
“A Cheerful Heart Is Good Medicine”
From: Julian Melgoza-Laura Fidanza
Colaboradores:Ricardo Vela & Alejandra Zavala
