“Hasten, O God, to save me; come quickly, LORD, to help me.” Psalm 70:1
If you are as I, you have had many times in your life when you did not have a whole lot of time to think about what you were praying for or exactly what you needed, but you just cried out,” Lord, help me.” These are the times when things happen unexpectedly and there’s little time, if any, to think about the words to pray or what needs to happen. All you can think of is, “Lord, please help me now. I need You.” It was a time to pray, even when unplanned or not given much thought.
The time to pray, of course, is anytime – especially when we are in crisis. Fear, worry, anxiety, and care are the most common occasions for prayer. It is when we are desolate, forsaken, and stripped of every human resource that we naturally resort to prayer. We cry out with the words of David, “Come quickly, LORD, to help me” (Psalm 70:1).
John Cassian, a fifth-century theologian, wrote of this verse: “This is the terrified cry of someone who sees the snares of the enemy, the cry of someone besieged day and night and exclaiming that he cannot escape unless his Protector comes to the rescue.”
May this be our simple prayer in every crisis and all day long: “Lord, help me!”
Prayer: “O God, let me realize that You are always available and always near when I need You. Let me remember that You will never leave me nor forsake me, no matter what circumstance is going on in my life. I can call on You and You will come quickly to hear me and help me.”
