“LORD, I CRY OUT TO YOU; Make haste to me! Give ear to my voice when I cry out to You. Let my prayer be set before You as incense, The lifting up of my hands as the evening sacrifice.” (Psa. 141:1-2) Sometimes we get so desperate that we cry out to God, HELP ME LORD! Throughout history, believers have cried out to God in times of distress. Sometimes after years of praying, a single cry brings direction or deliverance INSTANTLY. Many have wondered why there are such powerful results from simply crying out to God, yet the promise is clear: “Call upon Me in the day of trouble; I WILL DELIVER YOU, and you shall GLORIFY ME.“ (Psa. 50:15)
CRYING OUT TO GOD IN SCRIPTURE:
- A CRY OF DEEP DISTRESS: (zāʿaq: to desperately cry out.) God, “You saw the affliction of our fathers in Egypt and HEARD THEIR CRY by the Red Sea. You showed signs and wonders against Pharaoh, So You made a name for Yourself, as it is this day. And You divided the sea before them, so that they went through the midst of the sea on the dry land; And their persecutors You threw into the deep, As a stone into the mighty waters.” (Neh. 9:9-11)
- TO CRY OUT FOR HELP: (tsa’aq: to loudly call.) When the Israelites could not find fresh water in the wilderness, “And the people complained against Moses, saying, “What shall we drink?” So, he CRIED OUT TO THE LORD, and the LORD showed him a tree. When he cast it into the waters, the waters were made sweet.” (Exo. 15:24-26)
- TO CALL WITH A LOUD SOUND: (qara’: to loudly summon or invite.) “Jabez CALLED ON THE GOD of Israel saying, “Oh, that You would bless me indeed, and enlarge my territory, that Your hand would be with me, and that You would keep me from evil, that I may not cause pain!” So, God granted him what he requested.” (1 Chron. 4:10)
- TO SHOUT A WAR CRY: (ruwa`: to shout a war-cry or alarm of battle.) “Then the men of Judah GAVE A SHOUT; and as the men of Judah shouted, it happened that God struck Jeroboam and all Israel before Abijah and Judah.” (2 Chron. 13:15)
Trust is difficult, because we can trust, and sometimes bad things still happen. So, we need work at it daily, as things go well in our lives, we get the feeling we have everything under control and trust is not a daily focus. When hard times happen, trust becomes more important but not easy because we are out of practice. Trusting God is an exercise of faith, looking at God’s goodness, power, promises above our fears and discouragements, above confusing doubts, above our immediate situation. “Surely God is my salvation; I WILL TRUST AND NOT BE AFRAID. The LORD, the LORD Himself, is my strength and my defense; He has become my salvation.” With joy you will draw water from the wells of salvation.” (Isa. 12:2-3)
-Bill Stockham