A Cry for Help

Welcome to today's encouragement from Our Daily Bread. Our reading titled A Cry for Help was written by Marvin Williams. David Willis had been upstairs in Waterstones Bookshop when he came downstairs and found the lights were turned off and the doors locked. He was trapped inside the store. Not knowing what else to do, he turned to Twitter and tweeted, Hi, at Waterstones, I've been locked inside of your Trafalgar Square bookstore for two hours now. Please let me out. Not too long after his tweet, he was rescued.

It's good to have a way to get help when we're in trouble. Isaiah said there's someone who will answer our cries when we're trapped in a problem of our own making. The prophet wrote that God had charged his people with practicing their religious devotion irresponsibly. They were going through the motions of religion but masking their oppression of the poor with empty and self-serving rituals. This didn't win divine favor. God hid his eyes from them and didn't answer their prayers. He told them to repent and display outward acts of caring for others. If they did that, he told them, you will call and the Lord will answer. You will cry for help, and he will say, Here am I, if you do away with the yoke of oppression, with a pointing finger in malicious talk. Let's get close to the poor, saying to them, I am here. For God hears our cries for help and says to us, I am here.

Our scripture reading today is from Isaiah chapter 58 verses 1 through 9. Shout it aloud, do not hold back. Raise your voice like a trumpet. Declare to my people their rebellion and to the descendants of Jacob their sins. For day after day they seek me out. They seem eager to know my ways, as if they were a nation that does what is right and has not forsaken the commands of its God.

They ask me for just decisions and seem eager for God to come near them. Why have we fasted, they say, and you have not seen it? Why have we humbled ourselves and you have not noticed? Yet, on the day of your fasting, you do as you please and exploit all your workers. Your fasting ends in quarreling and strife and in striking each other with wicked fists.

You cannot fast as you do today and expect your voice to be heard on high. Is this the kind of fast I have chosen? Only a day for people to humble themselves?

Is it only for bowing one's head like a reed and for lying in sackcloth and ashes? Is that what you call a fast? A day acceptable to the Lord?

Is not this the kind of fasting I have chosen? To loose the chains of injustice and untie the cords of the yoke? To set the oppressed free and break every yoke?

Is it not to share your food with the hungry and to provide the poor wanderer with shelter, when you see the naked to clothe them and not to turn away from your own flesh and blood? Then your light will break forth like the dawn and your healing will quickly appear. Then your righteousness will go before you and the glory of the Lord will be your rear guard. Then you will call and the Lord will answer.

You will cry for help and He will say, Here am I, if you do away with the yoke of oppression, with the pointing finger and malicious talk. Let's pray. Dear God, thank you so much for hearing our prayers and sending help in our times of need. When we see the needs and struggles of others, please help us to show them your love and care for their needs. Thank you, Lord. It's in Jesus' name we pray. Amen. Thanks for listening today. I'm Stephen Tabor, and today's encouragement was provided by Our Daily Bread Ministries.