October 29

"In the day of my trouble I will call upon thee." Psa. 86: 7.

THIS was the language of David. David was a king, and a saint. He was preeminently great and good. Yet neither does his rank nor his godliness exempt him from trouble.

But it is well to see what such a man does when trouble cometh upon him. And here we have his resolution: "In the day of my trouble will I call upon thee."

This was the wisest thing he could do, and it is the best thing we can do. For, first, prayer is enjoined upon us in trouble. The will of God is our rule. And who can be ignorant of his command? Who has not read, "Is any afflicted? let him pray."

Secondly, prayer is the design of trouble. He does not afflict willingly, or grieve the children of men. He has an end worthy his wisdom and his goodness to answer by every trial. It is to bring us to himself, and to bring us nearer to himself. It is to quicken us to pray more frequently, more earnestly. "I will go and return to my place, till they acknowledge their offence and seek my face. In their affliction they will seek me early."

Thirdly, prayer is the evidence that trouble is sanctified. It is a great thing not to lose a trial. A trial is never neutral in its effect. It always injures or improves. It is worse than nothing when it sends us to the creature, either in the way of accusation or relief. But when we turn to Him that smiteth us, and acknowledge that his judgments are right, and cast ourselves at his feet, resolved, if we perish, there to die, we need not say, with Job, "I am afraid of all my sorrows;" but confess, with David, "It is good for me that I have been afflicted."

Fourthly, prayer is the solace of trouble. There is some relief in tears, and therefore nature is provided with them. It eases and soothes the bursting heart to pour our grief into the ear of a friend, who having rejoiced when we rejoiced, will weep when we weep. But how good is it to draw near to God! How delightful is it, like Job, to pour out our tears unto him, and resemble the child that sobs himself to sleep in his mother's arms, and on his mother's breast. "A glorious high throne from the beginning," says the church, "has been the place of our sanctuary." A temple that no evil enters; an asylum that no enemy invades. There the wicked cease from troubling, and there the weary are at rest.

Fifthly, prayer is the medium of our deliverance from trouble. For this release, we are allowed to be concerned. But we must seek it from God. And in doing this, we have not only his power to encourage us, and nothing is too hard for him, but his goodness and love; and "like as a father pitieth his children, so the Lord pitieth them that fear him." Yea, more, we have his faithfulness and truth that we shall not seek him in vain. He has engaged to appear to our joy, in his own time and way. He has bound himself, and put the bond into our hand; and we can produce it, and plead it, and be surer of the fulfilment than we are of the continuance of heaven and earth: "For heaven and earth shall pass away, but his word shall not pass away." Here it is: "Call upon me in the day of trouble, and I will deliver thee, and thou shalt glorify me." "Because he hath set his love upon me, therefore will I deliver him; I will set him on high, because he hath known my name. He shall call upon me, and I will answer him: I will be with him in trouble; I will deliver him, and honor him."