"About four years ago, while I was serving and studying in Jos, Plateau State, we lived through one of the most challenging periods of insecurity. News of killings and attacks came from both far and near. Fear gripped many communities, and uncertainty became part of daily life. The situation became even more personal because these events happened barely one month before my final examinations and graduation. Sunday evening March 29th, 2026 , around 7:30-8:00 p.m. a market where many of us regularly bought food and other necessities was attacked. Transport to that market usually cost between one hundred and one hundred and fifty naira. The attack lasted only a few minutes, but the damage was devastating. More than thirty-five people lost their lives, while many others were rushed to hospitals with serious injuries. What made the situation worse was that some people began to exploit the crisis and turn it into a religious conflict, leading to further attacks and increasing tension across the area.
As students, we lived in fear. Traveling home became difficult, and sleeping at night was almost impossible. On one occasion, gunshots erupted very close to our school. We could see tracer bullets lighting up the night sky. The situation became so alarming that students came out to guard the hostels, not only for ourselves but also for the female students, because we felt there was no one else to protect us. Even security personnel appeared overwhelmed by the intensity of the crisis.
Yet, in the midst of fear, uncertainty, and danger, we discovered that our greatest security was not in weapons, walls, or human strength, but in God. We prayed. Churches prayed. Christians fasted and sought God's face. We called upon Him in our day of trouble. Gradually, calm returned to the city. Within about two weeks, the atmosphere became peaceful enough for us to sit for our examinations. After the exams, we traveled to another state for a Campaign for Christ, ministered there for a week, returned safely, and eventually held our graduation ceremony.
Looking back today, I can confidently testify that God still answers prayer. He may not always act according to our timing, but He hears the cries of His people. The God who invited us to call upon Him in the day of trouble proved Himself faithful. Therefore, as we gather for this fasting and prayer program, we are reminded that no situation is beyond God's power. When His people call upon Him with faith, He hears, He delivers, and He receives the glory."
With this in mind we shall be encouraging ourselves from the Topic:
Psalm 50:15: "Call upon Me in the day of trouble; I will deliver you, and you shall glorify Me."
This verse is not merely a promise found in Scripture; it is a reality that many believers have experienced in difficult moments of life.
1. TROUBLE IS A REALITY OF LIFE
God never promised that believers would be free from trouble. What He promised is His presence and deliverance in trouble.
Psalm 50:15 begins with the phrase "in the day of trouble." This shows that difficult times are part of life. Even Godly people face challenges.
John 16:33: "These things I have spoken to you, that in Me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world."
Psalm 34:19: "Many are the afflictions of the righteous, but the Lord delivers him out of them all."
Isaiah 43:1&2:
“But now, thus says the Lord, who created you, O Jacob,
And He who formed you, O Israel:
“Fear not, for I have redeemed you;
I have called you by your name;
You are Mine.
When you pass through the waters, I will be with you;
And through the rivers, they shall not overflow you.
When you walk through the fire, you shall not be burned,
Nor shall the flame scorch you.”
Application
- Trouble may come as insecurity.
- Trouble may come as sickness.
- Trouble may come as unemployment.
- Trouble may come as persecution.
- Trouble may come as family problems.
The question is not whether trouble will come, but where we turn when it comes.
2. God's Invitation During Trouble
"Call Upon Me"
God's first response to trouble is not panic but prayer.
Notice that God did not say:
Call your connections.
Call your money.
Call your strength.
He said, "Call upon Me."
Prayer is an act of faith that acknowledges God's sovereignty and power
Jeremiah 33:3: "Call to Me, and I will answer you, and show you great and mighty things which you do not know."
Philippians 4.6&7: Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God. and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.
Chronicles 7.14 &15: "if My people who are called by My name will humble themselves, and pray and seek My face, and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin and heal their land. Now My eyes will be open and My ears attentive to prayer made in this place."
Application
When Jos was in crisis, people were afraid. Yet many churches gathered to pray and fast. When human strength reached its limit, prayer connected us to God's unlimited power.
3. GOD'S PROMISE:"I WILL DELIVER YOU "
The God who invites us to pray is also the God who promises to act.
- Deliverance may come:
- Immediately.
- Gradually.
- In unexpected ways.
- But God never abandons His people.
Psalm 46.1 - 3: "God is our refuge and strength, A very present help in trouble. Therefore we will not fear, Even though the earth be removed, And though the mountains be carried into the midst of the sea; Though its waters roar and be troubled, Though the mountains shake with its swelling."
Nahum.1.7 : "The LORD is good, A stronghold in the day of trouble; And He knows those who trust in Him."
Exodus 14:14: "The Lord will fight for you, and you shall hold your peace."
Application
The situation in Jos looked hopeless. People could not sleep. Gunshots filled the night. Fear was everywhere.
- Yet God intervened.
- The city became calmer.
- Examinations were written.
- Students graduated.
- Lives were preserved.
- The God who delivered yesterday is still delivering today.
4. HOW RESPONSIBILITY AFTER DELIVERANCE: " YOU SHALL GLORIFY ME"
Many people pray during trouble but forget God after deliverance. God's purpose in answering prayer is that His name will be glorified.
Psalm 107:1-2: "Oh, give thanks to the LORD, for He is good! For His mercy endures forever. Let the redeemed of the LORD say so, Whom He has redeemed from the hand of the enemy."
Luke 17:15-16: The one leper who returned to thank Jesus received special commendation.
Psalm 150:6: "Let everything that has breath praise the Lord
Application
When God answers:
- Tell others what He has done.
- Give Him the glory.
- Continue serving Him.
- Let your testimony strengthen others.
- Every testimony should end in worship.
CONCLUSION
Beloved, Psalm 50:15 is both an invitation and a promise.
God says: "Call upon Me."
That is our responsibility.
Then He says: "I will deliver you."
That is His responsibility.
Finally, He says: "You shall glorify Me."
That is the purpose of the answered prayers.
Just a month back, when fear surrounded us in Jos, when gunshots echoed through the night, when people did not know what the next day would bring, we learned that there is a God who hears prayer. Human strength failed. Human wisdom failed. Human security was limited. But God remained faithful.
The same God who preserved us through those dark days is present in this gathering today.
Perhaps someone here is facing a personal crisis.
Perhaps a family is going through hardship.
Perhaps someone has prayed for a long time and is beginning to lose hope.
The word of the Lord remains the same:
"Call upon Me in the day of trouble; I will deliver you, and you shall glorify Me."
May God bless us all 🙏
God has never lost a battle.
God has never failed a promise.
God has never abandoned His people.
If He answered yesterday, He can answer today.
If He delivered before, He can deliver again.
If He brought peace to a troubled city, He can bring peace to a troubled heart.
Therefore, let us pray with faith, fast with expectation, and trust God completely, because the God who invites us to call upon Him is still in the business of answering prayer.