DEVOTION//Father, help!

"Help," he cried. But he wasn't sure he could trust his father.  

My grandson had climbed on top of a large piece of commercial playground equipment. It was a cross between a space ship and a submarine and a tree house. He was proud of himself. But he didn't know how to climb down.

"Jump down," his father told him, "I'll catch you." But he wasn’t sure he could trust his dad to catch him.

Do you ever feel that way about God -- that you can't trust him?

The people that Isaiah wrote to had that fear. So before the LORD invited them to jump into his arms, he assured them he was completely trustworthy.

This is what God the Lord says—the Creator of the heavens, who stretches them out, who spreads out the earth with all that springs from it, who gives breath to its people, and life to those who walk on it… (Isaiah 42:5).

How powerful is God? He created the universe. In six days. He stretched out the universe -- for millions of light-years. He designed an ecosystem on this planet where all of life is intricately entwined and interdependent. 
That's why we can trust God has the power to keep his promises.

But there's more.

I, the LORD, have called you in righteousness; I will take hold of your hand. I will keep you and will make you to be a covenant for the people and a light for the Gentiles, to open eyes that are blind, to free captives from prison, and to release from the dungeon those who sit in darkness (Isaiah 42:6,7).

Did you notice God offers us a more convincing reason to trust him? He calls himself by the personal name he uses to impress on us that he loves us more than we could ever measure. He calls himself the LORD, Yahweh, the God of full, free, faithful, and forever love. He tells us that he, the LORD, is the one who gives us his righteousness. The result is that we are righteous -- and therefore we are acceptable to him. He, the LORD, gave us his Son to be our Savior.

So we trust him:

• To take our hand.

• To keep us safe.

• To wrap us in his covenant guarantees.

• To empower us to share our faith with others.

• To heal our spiritual blindness.

• To free us from our sins.

• To release us from hell's dungeon.

That's why we pray, "Father, help." That's why we trust him to catch  us. That's why we jump into his arms.

During the 15 Days of Prayer effort, pray for this trust to sweep across China. Pray for the gospel's spread there. Pray knowing the LORD has sufficient power to answer your prayers. And sufficient love to respond. You’ll find prayer suggestions for each of the 15 Days of Prayer here.