Article April 24, 2000 Issue

God is right where you are

Expect God's help.

By Barbara-Jean Stinson

It's natural to call on God for help. Many of us—even those who question His existence—have probably cried "God, please help me" in a time of great need. That kind of plea is an age-old prayer we can expect God to answer. King David in the Bible prayed that way, too, at times. Once, for example, he said, "In my distress I called upon the Lord, and cried to my God: and he did hear my voice out of his temple, and my cry did enter into his ears (II Sam. 22:7).

I've called on God in time of need as well. At one point I was scheduled to give an address about God and prayer to a large group of people, but in rehearsing the talk I found there was one portion I could not get through without starting to cry. It concerned an experience I'd had with my husband, who had passed on six months earlier. I had made good progress in coming to terms with his passing, but whenever I read this one section of the talk, the tears would start. It didn't seem right to take it out, because the experience illustrated a deep spiritual point I felt needed to be in the talk.

Shortly before I was to deliver this address, I attended a Wednesday testimony meeting at my church. The theme of that meeting—calling on God—really spoke to me. I realized that while I had prayed about this problem, I had not called upon Him with complete faith that He would hear me. So when I got home from church, I did just that. I humbly called upon God, asking Him to help me get through the difficult portion of my talk. And it worked! Not only did the tears not come, but I didn't even feel emotional as I delivered that part of the address.

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