Cries of Distress - All Our Daily Bread Daily Devotionals for 2026

Bible in a Year : Deuteronomy 20–22, Mark 13:21–37

When hard pressed, I cried to the Lord; he brought me into a spacious place.
Psalm 118:5

Today's Scripture & Insight : Psalm 118:1–9

Trapped under two floors of collapsed rubble caused by an earthquake, five-year-old Jinan, a Syrian girl, called out to rescuers as she shielded her little brother from the debris surrounding them. “Get me out of here; I’ll do anything for you,” she called heartbreakingly. “I’ll be your servant.”

Cries of distress are found throughout the Psalms: “When hard pressed, I cried to the Lord” (118:5). While we may never experience the crushing weight of earthquake-collapsed buildings, we all recognize the suffocating fears from a challenging medical diagnosis, economic hardship, uncertainty about the future, or relational loss.

In those moments we may offer bargains to God for deliverance. But God doesn’t need to be persuaded to help. He promises to answer, and while it may not be relief from our situation, He’ll be with us and on our side. Nor do we need to fear any other peril—including death. We can say with the psalmist, “The Lord is with me; he is my helper. I look in triumph on my enemies” (v. 7).

We’re not promised as dramatic a rescue as Jinan and her brother experienced, but we can trust our faithful God, who brought the psalmist “into a spacious place” (v. 5). He knows our situation and He’ll never abandon us, even in death.

By: Matt Lucas

Reflect & Pray
How has God shown Himself faithful when you’re in distress? How have you recognized His presence during difficult times?

Heavenly Father, I call to You knowing that You hear me. Thank You for being faithful and loving.