"This poor man cried to the Lord — and the Lord heard him and saved him out of his troubles" (Psalm 34:6).
It was a high-security penitentiary — filled with murderers, drug pushers, bank robbers and others who had committed major crimes and many who would never see the light of day again outside those bleak, gray prison walls. At an evangelistic service, however, one inmate after another stood to share how Christ had forgiven him of his sins and how, even though he had committed murder or some other serious crime, he knew with assurance that he was now a child of God.
Many of these men expressed in different words, as I sat there listening with tears streaming down my cheeks, "I am so glad I'm in prison, for it was here I found Jesus Christ, and I would rather be in prison with Christ in my heart than to be living in a palatial mansion without any knowledge of God's love and forgiveness through His Son."
Often I talk with people - on planes, on campuses, at public meetings — who are poor, not only materially but also physically and spiritually. What a joy to be able to share with them the good news that God cares.
A "poor man's" first cry must be one of repentance and confession, so that a divine relationship is established: Father and son. Conversion must come by the Spirit of God, before deliverance can come in the less important areas of one's life.
But after the Father-son relationship has been established, how wonderful to be able to assure such a one that God truly cares — enough to "save him out of his troubles." Oftentimes that entails enduring such troubles for a time, but never more than we are able to bear. The supernatural life promises victory - in the midst of adversity.
Today's Action Point
I will assure people whom I encounter today who are in trouble that God cares and promises deliverance. There is nothing more important that I could do for another person than to help him know Christ, so I will seek out those who are in need of a Savior so that they, too, can experience the liberating power of God's love through Jesus Christ.
