Oh, God I Need You
I got a text from my youngest sister recently giving me an update on her health. She has previously suffered from cancer 3 times and is currently needing to have a mass removed and tested. I pray for her and I try to encourage her but I think she encouraged me even more when she sent me the video of We the Kingdom singing “Holy Water.” The song starts out like this . . .
“God, I’m on my knees again
God, I’m begging please again
I need You
Oh, I need You
Walking down this desert road
Water for my thirsty soul
I need You
Oh, I need You” ~”Holy Water” by We the Kingdom
I was encouraged because I know my sister has placed her faith and her life in the hands of Jesus. I also know it takes courage and strength to cry out to God in our time of need. And not only in the good times, but also when life is the most challenging. In any case, this song puts our life journey into perspective. In short, we are truly in need and God is our help. We are in need of God’s forgiveness, grace and gentle care when we face those untimely stretches of desert road.
As my sister cries out to God in her need, and a concert of others with her, I’m reminded that even prophets and kings cry out to God. In fact, King David cried out to God as recorded in Psalm 61.
PS 61:1 Hear my cry, O God, listen to my prayer; 2 from the end of the earth I call to you when my heart is faint. Lead me to the rock that is higher than I, 3 for you have been my refuge, a strong tower against the enemy.
Basically, David is shouting out with a shrill or piercing cry to God for help. Notice the double petition. When we begin a conversation with hear or listen, in this case David uses hear and listen, it expresses an urgency for special attention and care. In other words, he wants God to fully understand his need and answer him. In essence, David is saying, oh God please answer me with a timely response. David feels like he is at the “ends of the earth.” It is an expression of feeling alone, maybe even isolated, and desperate. In addition to that, his heart is faint, meaning overwhelmed. As a result, he asks God who is his rock, to pick him up like a father would a child. He needs God to lift him up and out of his desperate circumstance. David knows he can’t handle his despair without God’s help. In an expression of trust and confidence, David acknowledges God as his refuge, meaning shelter or sanctuary. In fact, David’s reference to God as a strong tower is a way of saying that God is a place of safety. As Hossfeld and Zenger express in their commentary on the Psalms, “David is asking God to bring him to a ‘place’ where no enemy and no danger any longer threaten him—and where he must no longer expend great effort to protect or defend himself.”
You might be facing health issues similar to my sister or some other desert road experience. If you are, allow me to give you a few things to put into practice from Psalm 61.
- Cry out to God in prayer
- Express your trust in God
- Honestly describe how you feel
- Tell God how much you need Him … Oh, God I need you
- Ask God for help
- Acknowledge God’s attributes (e.g. rock, strong tower)
- Praise God for who He is
Well, let’s be honest. Life can be very hard at times and sometimes the suffering never seems to end. In essence, it can feel like you are alone and thirsty on a never ending desert road. But as the song says, “God, I’m on my knees again . . . God, I’m begging please again . . . I need You . . . Oh, I need You . . . Walking down this desert road . . . Water for my thirsty soul . . . I need You . . . Oh, I need You” In fact, we do need God. I really mean it. We “need” God. He is our help. I pray that you are encouraged like I am as I realize how much I need God. I’m encouraged because I know my need for God is a good thing. There is no better place to be than in the hands of Jesus.
A Work in Progress,
Pastor Gene
Who We Are