This week, I found myself feeling seriously distressed. Fear was swamping my metaphorical boat. I felt less in control, and because of that, way more anxious. The truth is, I want COVID-19 to go away. Maybe you can relate. I feel like a five-year-old on a trip I didn’t want to take, asking over and over again, “Are we there yet?”. I am ready to move forward but it isn’t up to me. And in this place of helplessness, I turned to a scripture that has encouraged me again and again. I love Psalm 20, and this verse in particular held the words I needed to hear. I took a little time and wrote out my thoughts about it below. I hope it offers you the same comfort it gave me.
May the LORD answer you when you are in distress; may the name of the God of Jacob protect you. -Psalm 20:1
The captain of the R.M.S. Lusitania was not ignorant to the risks in the water on the day of his ship’s tragedy. After all, World War I was well under way and the waters around Great Britain were vibrating with the possibilities of attack. So while Captain Turner did not specifically know that a German U-boat was about to stumble upon his cruise liner and unload one perfectly aimed torpedo at his hull, it was also not terribly surprising. U-boats had been present in the area, and several ships had already been sunk. Surely, there had been tension in the air as the crew hoped to somehow reach shore safely. Unfortunately, that was not going to happen.
Maybe you know what it feels like to be traveling in unsafe waters. Whether you’re living through health issues, marriage problems, family drama, or yes, corona virus fears, life can feel very similar to navigating a cruise ship through a U-boat infested sea. Things can feel so unsure. You hope things are going to work out and then...and then.
And then you find yourself in distress. You hoped to make it safely to shore. To receive good news from the doctor, to find that your spouse is ready to change, to see your child’s behavior shift, to avoid the months long quarantine. You hoped the tension would lift and you would finally feel safe. But it didn’t work out that way. This broken world is breaking you and you Just. Want. Help.
The Lusitania was struck, wounded beyond repair. Captain Turner saw to it that the distress signal danced out over the air immediately:
“SOS. Come at once.”
The call went out, but help would not arrive in time for 1,201 of the passengers and crew aboard. Ultimately, only 763 people would survive. From the time of impact to its burial at sea, less than 20 minutes passed. Too little time for a rescue with no boat nearby.
Well, dear ones, this is where your story stops looking like that of the 1,201. Because when we turn to the Psalms, we see that our rescue is close at hand. Psalm 20 opens with the hope-filled call of David, “May the LORD answer you when you are in distress.”
It is easy for me to imagine myself standing in the proverbial signal room of my life, reaching out for help. “SOS. Come at once.” Have you been there? Have you ever sent up a desperate prayer for deliverance? David had. And he knew that God had never failed to answer him in those moments. He goes on to say, “May the name of the God of Jacob protect you.”
Why the God of Jacob? When I began meditating on this verse, I realized I would have to turn back to the story of Jacob if I were going to truly understand the meaning of the Psalm. If it is the God of Jacob who is meant to protect us, what was their relationship like? Who was God to Jacob? What I discovered was that they were so intimate that God chose to promise Jacob:
“I am with you and will watch over you wherever you go.”
I AM WITH YOU.
See, this is where your narrative diverges from that of a fated ocean liner on a dangerous voyage. We too have been struck by enemy fire. Afflicted. Hard pressed on every side, perplexed, persecuted, struck down. But that is just half of the story. Turn to 2 Corinthians 4:8-9 in your Bible. Read the other half of the verse.
“We are hard pressed on every side, BUT NOT CRUSHED; perplexed, BUT NOT IN DESPAIR; persecuted, BUT NOT FORSAKEN; struck down, BUT NOT DESTROYED.”
It matters that God is referred to as the God of Jacob in Psalm 20. Because the God of Jacob is the God who promises His presence. He promises His protection. He promises that no matter where our voyage takes us, He sees us. And it is within that context that this Psalm is written. Because it is not only asking God to answer us, it is asking Him to answer in the way He would answer Jacob. With the immediacy of someone who is with us. Always.
We can’t deny the fact that we will face trouble in this world. Jesus didn’t sugar coat it. He stated it plainly. But He also said He had overcome the world. We may find ourselves in the sights of an enemy warship. We may even be struck. But we will not be destroyed. We serve a God who answers when we are in distress. We serve a God who unequivocally promises that He will be with us wherever we go. To protect us.
Go ahead and send that distress call. He is listening. He is faithful. And He will answer you when you are in distress.