My wife, Jan, stuck her head in the door to announce that one of the new kittens was trapped in a tree. We had watched them multiple times run up the base of trees and were amazed at their agility and speed. I was a bit surprised that one had ventured so far out on a limb that it simply could not find a safe way to get down. The limb was so thin that any movement caused a swift bend. Her pitiful cries prompted a rescue effort with an extension ladder. At first, she tried to hang on to where she was but finally trusted me enough to let go and be saved. I’m happy to announce she is safe and back on the ground, though it will probably happen again.
Our God is a master at rescues. The psalmist said, “Reach down from heaven and rescue me; rescue me from deep waters, from the power of my enemies” (Psalms 144:7, NLT). Living in a broken world means finding ourselves often in trouble. And with the freedom to choose comes wrong choices with disastrous results. Though prayers contain elements of praise and thanks, they frequently move to desperate calls for help and deliverance. The truth is that many of the Psalms are birthed in pain with cries for God to intervene. Like a kitten too far out on a limb, often we don’t know which way to go.
Consider these truths as you walk through trouble. First, God sees you. A wonderful story in the Bible is Jesus walking out on the Sea of Galilee while the disciples are tossed about in the boat that is caught in a storm. It must have been severe because seasoned fishermen were losing hope. My favorite version of the story is Mark’s Gospel, which describes their terror and then says, “Then He saw them…”(Mark 6:48, NKJ). Envision Jesus praying for you in heaven while He watches your dilemma on earth. There is nothing hidden from your life that He cannot see - no problem of which He is not aware.
Second, God cares for you. People tend to question the love of God when they walk through trials. His heart hurts when we endure pain, but it is part of the price of living in a broken world. The Scripture describe Jesus this way: “When he saw the crowds, he had compassion on them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd” (Matthew 9:36, NIV). Peter declared, “Give all your worries and cares to God, for he cares about you” (I Peter 5:7, NLT).
Third, God is near to you. Though He allowed the disciples to endure the storm for a while, He eventually intervened and ended the turmoil. He is God. He is sovereign. There is no storm anywhere unless He permits it. He is always near and ready. The Bibles encourages us with the words, “I will never leave you nor forsake you” (Hebrews 13:5, NKJ). You are never alone.