God Hears You When You Cry

The cries that awaken a mother in the middle of the night are many and variable.

There’s the cry that says, I’m feeling a little lonely; it would be nice to see your face. 

There’s the cry that says, Something disturbed me. I don’t like it, and I think you ought to know about it. 

There’s the cry that says, I have a need. My diaper’s wet or my tummy’s hungry.

And then there’s the cry that could raise the dead. You know, the one that has you upright and on your feet before your eyes are even open.

I enjoyed a recent visit with the newest love of my life, my granddaughter, Lauren. I was staying for the weekend and offered to babysit so my daughter and her husband could have an evening out. I had the pleasure of bathing Lauren, reading her a bedtime story, and tucking her into bed.

An hour or so later, I heard her whimper. Tiptoeing to her room, I peeked in to check on her. Apparently she had lost her paci and was rustling around in search of it. I watched her find it in the semi-darkness, slide it into her mouth, and drift off to sleep again.

Later that night, after I had gone to bed, I again heard a cry from her room. I tiptoed to the door to check on her. Although her cries were louder than before, she settled down in a few minutes with no intervention from me.

At 5 a.m., however, it was a different story. Shrill screams pierced the air, causing me to sit straight up in my bed. My daughter, now home and asleep, responded instantly, but it took several minutes before she was able to comfort Lauren enough for her cries to subside.

Wise parents learn to distinguish between the cries that warrant immediate attention, the ones that need monitoring, and those that are best ignored. But regardless of their purpose, mothers hear every cry. Their ears are attuned to the sound of their babies’ voices, and their hearts are knit together with their children.

God the Father is the same way.

David describes God’s responsiveness in Second Samuel 22:7: “In my distress I called to the LORD; I called out to my God. From his temple he heard my voice; my cry came to his ears.” And God is very responsive to our cries for help.

"Because he loves me," says the LORD, "I will rescue him; I will protect him, for he acknowledges my name,” Psalm 91:14 says.

Sometimes, however, in his infinite wisdom, God chooses not to respond to our requests immediately. Perhaps he knows there are lessons we need to learn or skills we need to develop. Maybe he knows our faith muscles need strengthening or that waiting for his response will help develop our character. He knows that persevering in faith even when we can’t see how God is working makes us stronger.

Credit

If you’re crying out today, be comforted and encouraged by the knowledge that God hears every cry and always responds in the timing and the way that is best—because he loves us. “As a father has compassion on his children, so the LORD has compassion on those who fear him” (Psalm 103:13).

What about you? Has there been a time when God seemed deaf to your cries but later you saw how he was working things out on your behalf? I’d love for you to share your story by leaving a comment below.







If you enjoyed this devotion, may I tell you about my new book, Hungry for God … Starving for Time, 5-Minute Devotions for Busy Women?

 Today's women want to connect with God, but in the craziness of life, it’s just not happening. You want practical, biblical answers to situations you face every day, but you don’t have hours to pore over Scripture.

You need a resource that answers the questions you’re afraid to ask out loud. Questions like:

• Is my situation hopeless?
• If God already knows what he’s going to do, why bother to pray? 
• Why have you allowed this to happen to me? 
• No one appreciates what I do. Why shouldn’t I quit? 

Each devotion begins with a Facetime question and ends with a biblical answer wrapped in a modern day parable. Like a spiritual power bar, Hungry for God … Starving for Time is packed with enough scriptural nutrition to get you through the day. Wherever you are—in break rooms, carpool lines, or wherever you can snatch five minutes of quiet reflection—Hungry for God … Starving for Time, 5-Minute Devotions for Busy Women is for you. 

 

If you enjoyed this post, why not subscribe? I'll send you twice-weekly 5-minute devotions to help nourish your soul. 
Because women need to connect with God in the craziness of life. 

Enter your email address and VALIDATE the Feedburner email sent to your inbox.



Delivered by FeedBurner

Hungry for God is on Facebook! Will you take a moment and LIKE my page? CLICK HERE to help HFG share 5-minute devotions.