The righteous cry out, and the Lord hears them; he delivers them from all their troubles.

Psalm 34:17

I heard whimpering from another room. I called my dog, “Buddy, come here!” But he only whined more. I put down what I was working on to check out the situation. I had forgotten to remove the leash from my dog after his morning walk. The leash was caught under a leg of the couch, tethering my little dog to it. Turning the corner, I was greeted by a wagging tail, a wiggling body, little yips, and expectant eyes. I was Buddy’s hope of freedom. I quickly unhooked the leash, setting him free.

I get stuck in plenty of situations I don’t know how to get out of. I have been stuck at the bottom of stairs with a hurt ankle after falling. I have been stuck with an unwanted medical diagnosis. I have been stuck with more bills to pay than money coming in. I have been stuck with the weight of depression. I have been stuck in the heaviness of grief.

The good news? We don’t have to remain stuck. All we have to do is call out to our Savior anytime and anywhere. He is waiting to help us when we can’t see our way out. The righteous cry out, and the Lord hears them (Psalm 34:17). I don’t think I heard Buddy when he first whined. It took repeated attempts and increased decibels to get my attention. It is not necessary for us to scream louder or ask multiple times to get God’s ear. He hears as soon as His people call.

He also delivers them from all their troubles (Psalm 34:17). How cruel it would have been for me to leave Buddy bound. God is exceedingly more concerned about us when we are in distress. He knows why we are stuck and hastens to remedy the situation. It may take longer than we would like, but God will deliver us. We can count on Him.

I praise you, Lord, for hearing and delivering!

Terri