Three Lines, One Message

O Lord my God, I cried out to you, and you restored me to health. Psalm 30:2

And call upon me in the day of trouble; I will deliver you, and you will honor me. Psalm 50:15

In my distress I called to the Lord, and he answered me. From the depths of the grave I called for help, and you listened to my cry. Jonah 2:2

To those who might be experiencing severe distress, I strongly recommend that you consider, if you already haven’t, calling upon the Lord for help. I did and it made all the difference.

I would imagine that to most people the word bankruptcy would summon up images of disaster and ruin, but for me, the experience of financial distress unexpectedly opened up window after window, so that like a captive bird in a cage I was able to fly through the tiny opening and out into a new world and a new life.

As I look back to that traumatic day when I had to file a chapter 11 petition, I still cannot provide an explanation to my survival that many would find reasonable. I should have gone down in flames, but that is not what happened. Instead, I walked away from the smoking ruins unscathed.

I do know this, however. When all seemed lost and hopeless, and when every avenue of escape had closed down, I did call upon the Lord in my day of trouble. I also know that in time I was delivered from my distress even though I did not deserve to survive, nor did I expect to. The only explanation that makes sense to me today is that I experienced the same amazing Grace that John Newton writes about in his song: “I once was lost and now am found was blind but now I see.”

Would my fate have been different if I had not called upon the Lord in my hour of extreme need? I don’t know for sure, but I now believe God’s hand was there to guide me through. And so I believe the psalmist’s words are true: “If I rise on the wings of the dawn, if I settle on the far side of the sea, even there your hand will guide me, your right hand will hold me fast.”