From My Distress I Called

[Christsfreeservant]

5 From my distress I called upon the Lord;​

The Lord answered me and set me in a large place.​

6 The Lord is for me; I will not fear;​

What can man do to me?​

15 The sound of joyful shouting and salvation is in the tents of the righteous;​

The right hand of the Lord does valiantly.​

19 Open to me the gates of righteousness;​

I shall enter through them, I shall give thanks to the Lord.​

20 This is the gate of the Lord;​

The righteous will enter through it.​

21 I shall give thanks to You, for You have answered me,​

And You have become my salvation. (Psalm 118 select verses NASB1995)​

When we believe in Jesus Christ to be Lord and Savior of our lives, we enter into a personal relationship with the Lord, which is a close intimate relationship with God – Father, Son Jesus Christ, and Holy Spirit. Jesus is now our husband, and we are his bride, and we are to be faithful to our Lord just as anyone who is married should be faithful to his or to her spouse. And we are now to follow the Lord with our lives in obedience to his commands, and in surrender to his will and purpose for our lives, for the glory of God.

[Matthew 7:13-14,21-23; Luke 9:23-26; John 1:12-13; John 6:44; John 10:27-30; Acts 26:18; Romans 2:6-8; Romans 6:1-23; Romans 8:1-14; 1 Corinthians 10:1-22; Galatians 5:16-24; Ephesians 2:8-10; Ephesians 4:17-32; Ephesians 5:3-6; Titus 2:11-14; Hebrews 3:1-19; Hebrews 4:1-13; Hebrews 12:1-2; 1 Peter 2:24; 1 John 1:1-10; 1 John 2:3-6; 1 John 3:4-10]

But following Jesus Christ with our lives is not an easy road, and he never promised that it would be. It will be filled with trials and tribulations to test our faith and to strengthen us in our walks of faith in obedience to our Lord, and to mature us in Christ. And we are going to come up against “brick walls” and “high waters” and all sorts of obstacles which God intends to use for good in our lives, but which Satan intends for evil in our lives as a means to try to get us to give up on God and on faith and on service to our Lord.

And these difficult situations, which we will encounter from time to time, may tend to distress us and to make us afraid, in our natural human emotions. But this is where we need to look to the Lord and trust him to work it all out according to his plan and purpose for our lives, as he continues to mold us and to make us into his likeness. For if we are on God’s side, obeying his commands, and doing his will, he is for us, and he will watch over us, and he will give us victory over the enemy of our souls.

So, rather than respond to life’s difficulties with fear and distress, and/or with retreating and escaping and running away from our circumstances, we are to be even more dedicated and serious about our walks of faith in obedience to our Lord in surrender to his will and purpose for our lives. And we must continue in the work of the Lord, to which he has called us, despite all the obstacles in our way. And we must keep on in serving the Lord and in living holy lives, pleasing to God, living out the salvation he provided for us.

[Matt 5:10-12; Matt 10:16-39; Matt 24:9-14; Luke 6:22-23; Luke 12:49-53; Luke 21:12-19; John 15:1-21; John 16:33; John 17:14; Acts 14:22; Rom 5:3-5; Eph 6:10-20; Phil 3:7-11; 1 Pet 1:6-7; 1 Pet 4:12-17; 2 Tim 3:12; 1 Thess 3:1-5; Jas 1:2-4; 2 Co 1:3-11; Heb 12:3-12; 1 Jn 3:13; Rev 6:9-11; Rev 7:9-17; Rev 11:1-3; Rev 12:17; Rev 13:1-18; Rev 14:1-13]

I Need Thee Every Hour

Hymn lyrics by Annie S. Hawks, 1872
Ref. by Robert Lowry, 1872
Music by Robert Lowry, 1872

I need Thee every hour, most gracious Lord;
No tender voice like Thine can peace afford.

I need Thee every hour; stay Thou nearby;
Temptations lose their power when Thou art nigh.

I need Thee every hour, in joy or pain;
Come quickly and abide, or life is vain.

I need Thee every hour; teach me Thy will;
And Thy rich promises in me fulfill.

I need Thee every hour, most Holy One;
O make me Thine indeed, Thou blessed Son.

I need Thee, O I need Thee; every hour I need Thee;
O bless me now, my Savior, I come to Thee.

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From My Distress I Called
An Original Work / July 25, 2025
Christ’s Free Servant, Sue J Love