"Are You There?"

[Passage]: Read Psalm 116:1-2

As a kid, some of us were really mischievious... We skipped school, played pranks on people, and the list goes on and on (*evil grin*). But like Newton's Third Law of Motion, "For every action exists an equal and opposite reaction." In this case, the reaction is facing disciplinary actions. Remember the times you were asked to wait outside the principle's office and seconds seem like years? Your heart pounding as you wonder what fate awaits you... Caning, scolding, suspension or expulsion? You wished there was someone to come and rescue you.. Your favorite teacher or even your parents. In your heart, you cry out asking for salvation!

Well, this story may be a little exaggerated but you get the general idea. The psalmist wrote: "I love the Lord because he heard my plea for mercy, and listened to me. As long as I live, I will call to him when I need help" Throughout the psalm, the psalmist recounts how the Lord has delivered him in tough situations and how he praises the Lord for it.

But if we just look at verses 1 and 2, without looking at the rest of the context of the psalm per se, we realize that verses 1 and 2 on its own does not show whether God's answer is one of positive results or negative. Now, let us take a moment and ponder about this. We know that God hears our prayers but at the same time, we also know that ultimately, God has the best plans for us. We cannot comprehend or even begin to understand why does He allow us to go through certain things or allow certain situations to happen and it becomes very easy to lose our faith in God. But when we see as if God is not answering our prayers the way we expect, can we still hold on and praise God knowing that He hears our prayers and that He knows what is best for us? Will we still love Him or will we end up holding a grudge against Him?

[Response: Do you feel as if God does not care? Do you feel that He does not hear your prayers? Take heart and know that God hears, just that His answer may not be what we expect. Take time to just be honest with God. Just spend time in His presence and let Him minister to you.]

[Action: Lend a helping hand to someone today. Be the extended hand of Christ. Go the extra mile for someone today. Treat someone to dinner. You never know, you might be the answer to someone's prayer.]