Does God Hear Us When We Cry?

Does God hear us when we cry?

If you have done any traveling outside the United States or spent any time in a big city, you will eventually wonder to yourself, “Does God even care about these people?”  It is a hard thing to witness true poverty and hopelessness, especially when you see it with children. 

My youngest son, Sam, who is about to turn 16, sat down on the grass in the front yard this week and exclaimed, “Man, what are the chances of me being born into a Christian family?!”  His words are thoughts I have had many times myself.  How thankful I am that I was born into a home where God was exalted and worshiped consistently.  This leads me to naturally pose the question, “Does God love me more than He does Fabiana, a little girl who comes to our church?”  You and I both know the answer is no.  He loves us each the same, but our hearts and minds can’t make sense of why some people seem more blessed than others.  It is this type of thinking that also makes us question if God hears us when we cry to Him.  Sometimes it seems He answers everyone else in the world but us doesn’t it?  Let’s look at what His Word teaches us so we have some Truth to stand on the next time we are crying and alone.

I read each verse in the Bible where crying or some form of crying was mentioned.  I found that a LOT of people cried throughout the pages between Genesis to Revelation.  In fact, some of the cries mentioned have not even happened yet because they are prophetic.  So, I can be rest assured that I am not the only person in history that has cried or will cry.  I am not alone, and neither are you. 

In Psalms 22 there is a prophetic account of Our Saviour crying.  Before we read it, I want you to think about the fact that Jesus was not some helpless, hopeless man, He was and IS God.  The One who created the tear ducts, uses them in these verses.  The One who spoke the world into existence, speaks here in this chapter and He cries out.  If you and I are going to answer the question: Does God hear us when we cry? We need to look at Psalms 22.

Psalms 22:1-31 To the chief Musician upon Aijeleth Shahar, A Psalm of David.

My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me? why art thou so far from helping me, and from the words of my roaring?

O my God, I cry in the daytime, but thou hearest not; and in the night season, and am not silent.

But thou art holy, O thou that inhabitest the praises of Israel.

Our fathers trusted in thee: they trusted, and thou didst deliver them.

They cried unto thee, and were delivered: they trusted in thee, and were not confounded.

But I am a worm, and no man; a reproach of men, and despised of the people.

All they that see me laugh me to scorn: they shoot out the lip, they shake the head, saying,

He trusted on the LORD that he would deliver him: let him deliver him, seeing he delighted in him.

But thou art he that took me out of the womb: thou didst make me hope when I was upon my mother's breasts.

I was cast upon thee from the womb: thou art my God from my mother's belly.

Be not far from me; for trouble is near; for there is none to help.

Many bulls have compassed me: strong bulls of Bashan have beset me round.

They gaped upon me with their mouths, as a ravening and a roaring lion.

I am poured out like water, and all my bones are out of joint: my heart is like wax; it is melted in the midst of my bowels.

My strength is dried up like a potsherd; and my tongue cleaveth to my jaws; and thou hast brought me into the dust of death.

For dogs have compassed me: the assembly of the wicked have inclosed me: they pierced my hands and my feet.

I may tell all my bones: they look and stare upon me.

They part my garments among them, and cast lots upon my vesture.

But be not thou far from me, O LORD: O my strength, haste thee to help me.

Deliver my soul from the sword; my darling from the power of the dog.

Save me from the lion's mouth: for thou hast heard me from the horns of the unicorns.

I will declare thy name unto my brethren: in the midst of the congregation will I praise thee.

Ye that fear the LORD, praise him; all ye the seed of Jacob, glorify him; and fear him, all ye the seed of Israel.

For he hath not despised nor abhorred the affliction of the afflicted; neither hath he hid his face from him; but when he cried unto him, he heard.

My praise shall be of thee in the great congregation: I will pay my vows before them that fear him.

The meek shall eat and be satisfied: they shall praise the LORD that seek him: your heart shall live for ever.

All the ends of the world shall remember and turn unto the LORD: and all the kindreds of the nations shall worship before thee.

For the kingdom is the LORD'S: and he is the governor among the nations.

All they that be fat upon earth shall eat and worship: all they that go down to the dust shall bow before him: and none can keep alive his own soul.

A seed shall serve him; it shall be accounted to the Lord for a generation.

They shall come, and shall declare his righteousness unto a people that shall be born, that he hath done this.

This Psalm starts with a cry and ends with a cry.  The first is in the form of a question and the last is a declaration.  I believe this needs to be the pattern you and I follow in our life’s quest of knowing God better.

We are going to come up on a moment in our life when we will cry out to God in agony.  Jesus did this in the garden and on the cross.  He who knew NO SIN, BECAME sin for you and me.  (2 Corinthians 5:21) Just thinking about the sin I have committed in my life makes me know for a fact Jesus definitely cried on my account.  Think about your life, He had to cry because of you too didn’t He?  And he didn’t just cry softly, He roared.  Jesus knew the ultimate sacrifice He was making, and He did it out of love for us.  We made Jesus cry, but He thought/thinks we are worth it.

Did God hear Jesus when He cried?  I believe He had to hear His own voice! 

Jesus cried to God and it is very interesting to note verse 6.  Jesus compares himself to a worm.  Why?  Was He saying he was a squiggly nasty piece of bait on the end of a fishing hook?  NOPE.  The worm referred to in this Scripture is a crimson grub that was crushed in order to use the red color for the dying of king’s robes.  He was crushed and bruised and despised of men, but not by God.  And again, Jesus did this for you and me and every other person in this world so that we might, by faith, be clothed in the "King of Kings" robes of righteousness.

God allowed the crying, but it was for a purpose. Psalms 51:17The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit: a broken and a contrite heart, O God, thou wilt not despise.  God heard the crying and if there was ever a day we KNOW HE paid attention it was the day Jesus was covered in blood as He hung on the cross of Calvary, torn and beaten for our transgressions.  If God heard the cries that were wept because of us, that proves His love for us and gives us great confidence that He hears our individual cries today.

Now, the end of Psalms 22 is a cry of declaration, “Finished”.  There was a reason for the cries of suffering, but there is also an end to them.  It is vital we declare that God is at work and give Him the glory!  Will you and I fall for the lie of Satan that our Heavenly Father doesn’t hear our cries?  Or will we face our night seasons KNOWING God is hearing and working His plan? 

Are you in a night season in your life right now?  Are you wondering where God is in all that is going on?  It isn’t easy is it?  Go ahead and cry when you pray, there is nothing wrong with tears, but when you finish, be sure to stand up, wipe your face and look up.  Glorify God and KNOW He has heard and is hearing you when you cry.  He is at work in your life and the lives of others.  Sometimes it is painful, but it is pain with a purpose my friend.  Praise God for what He did for you, and for what He is doing for you because it is leading you to KNOW Him better!

Philippians 3:10 That I may know him, and the power of his resurrection, and the fellowship of his sufferings, being made conformable unto his death;

Press on toward the mark!  You aren’t alone and God DOES hear your cries.

Until next time, Lord willing,

Sheri