Gospel Reflections #1137: God can never afford to abandon

Psalm 70:1 ‘O God, if it be your will, save me; O Lord, hasten to help me.’

These are words of prayer—a cry from the soul—in which a believer, facing imminent danger, pleads with God for salvation and help without delay. 

The most striking feature of this passage is the emphasis on the word ‘hastily’.

David is not seeking salvation for tomorrow or the future; he finds himself in such dire straits that unless he is helped ‘right now’, it will be too late.

In the midst of his helplessness—where human strength is utterly inadequate—he seeks nothing but God’s intervention.

The introductory note reads: ‘A memorial song of David.’

Here, ‘memorial’ does not merely mean recalling past events; it also refers to ‘asking God to remember our suffering’ (to take notice of it), as well as the act of offering incense before God in worship (so that we may be kept in His memory). 

This first verse teaches us that when we are at rock bottom in life, with not even the energy left to pray in eloquent words, it is perfectly acceptable to cry out just as we are: ‘God, please help me now!’

It is not a formal prayer, but the act of clinging to God whilst acknowledging our weakness and limitations one hundred percent that constitutes the true prayer of faith taught in the Bible. 

Our God is the One who came into this world to seek us out and save us.

God is not one to abandon us or change His mind simply because we are so immature and imperfect.

We can trust that God completely and cling to Him with confidence.

AUTHOR'S BIO: This Gospel Reflections page is written by Masae San, who resides in Hiroshima, Japan. Masae is a dedicated student of the Bible with a deep passion for the Gospel of Jesus Christ. She shares her daily reflections on Gospel perspectives to reach out to others and spread the message of God's true love through a Christ-centered approach. We are sharing her insights here so that you, too, can experience the joy that comes from knowing and understanding the true Gospel and the love of God through Jesus Christ.