I love the LORD for hearing me, for listening to my prayers. Yes, he paid attention to me, so I will always call to him whenever I need help.

From the darkness and turmoil of our trouble, we call out to the Lord. Sometimes, arrogantly, we wait too long to call out to the Lord. Sometimes we wait until the situation slips out of control, and we have run out of all our usual options. Will the Lord still listen to our prayers?

David tells us that the Lord does hear, and He does listen. He has pity on us, and He shows mercy to us when we turn to Him and cry out. Although we may have thought we could make it on our own—although we may have waited too long—the Lord still accepts us when we cry out to Him in prayer. With David, we confess that this compassion and faithfulness cause us to love the Lord. We love Him because He hears us and cares for us when there is no one else.

Indeed, the Lord even pays attention to me. Who am I that the Lord God of heaven and earth should listen to me and pay attention to me? I sin and am made of dust, and He is the holy and eternal Lord over all things. Why should He condescend to my level and pay attention to my problems and my concerns? The only explanation I can find is that He is a good and loving God who cares for His people and cares what happens to them.

So I will stop relying on myself and other people when I am in trouble. I will stop putting off my cry for help. From now on I will always turn to the Lord first of all and I will not delay. Since He is a God who cares for me and pays attention to me, I will make Him first in my life. I will always call to Him whenever I need help.

I will love Him and honor Him by always looking to Him—even before trouble arises, even when there is no trouble in sight.

By John Huisman, friend of Bible League International