Hear me when I call, O God of my righteousness! You have relieved me in my distress; Have mercy on me, and hear my prayer. – Psalm 4:1 NKJV. 

But know that the Lord has set apart for Himself him who is godly; The Lord will hear when I call to Him. – Psalm 4:3 NKJV. 

Call upon Me in the day of trouble; I will deliver you, and you shall glorify Me.” – Psalm 50:15 NKJV. 

As for me, I will call upon God, And the Lord shall save me. – Psalm 55:16 NKJV. 

For “whoever calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved.” – Romans 10:13 NKJV. 

Then He spoke a parable to them, that men always ought to pray and not lose heart. – Luke 18:1 NKJV. 

What would you do if someone was robbing a convenience store and when you called 911 the operator hung up on you? What would you do if you had someone with a serious medical condition and called 911, and the operator hung up on you? Those calls were hung up on by Creshanda Williams a 911 operator in Houston, Texas. Creshanda hung up on thousands of other 911 calls, because it was reported “she did not want to talk to anyone at that time.” Some callers she just answered and hung up on immediately. Other callers she said things like “Ain’t nobody got time for that, for real.” 

The robber of the convenience store shot and killed the clerk before the man calling for help could connect with another 911 operator. The woman with a blood clot in her lungs survived after her husband was hung up on while trying to do CPR with one hand and calling with the other.  Creshanda has been fired, terminated, and faces possible charges in some 800 of those hang ups. If she is sentenced consecutively for each of those charges she might be given 800 years in jail plus fines. (Daily Mail 10.12.16; CNN 10.19.16; ClicktoHouston 10.14.16; ABC 13 Houston 10.17.16) 

We do live in a time when we may be faced with unexpected dangers and threats. We also live in a time when many of us have phones, and the ability to call for help on those phones. We have come to rely upon police and other emergency personnel responding quickly to our calls for help. When David was being chased by King Saul and others there were no 911 operators to call. Hiding in a cave with those who wanted to kill him close by, David had only one source of help. That help was the Lord God. His God sustained him through the years of difficult and trying times. 

Even in this time of modern technology, technology cannot solve all of our problems, meet all of our needs, or always give us the help when we may need it. Technology is only as good as the technology, and the humans who operate it. Phone systems and other technological devices sometimes fail. The humans, who operate those systems and devices, are just humans, who sometimes also fail. 

Jesus says we ought to always pray. 1 Thessalonians 5:17 says, “pray without ceasing.” The NIV puts this as “pray continually.” The point is that we should not wait until we have an emergency so desperate that we are forced to call 911. We should be praying everyday as if our lives and our futures depend upon it. Because…our lives are in His hands and our God is our Help. “Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need (Hebrews 4:16).”