The righteous cry, and the Lord hears and delivers them out of all their troubles. (Psalm 34:17 NASB)
When we are hurting, we often feel helpless . . . even hopeless. The waves of challenge that wash over us can seem unending. Just as we are coming up to gasp for a bit of air, another wave pummels us back down onto the sandbar of sadness and sorrow. But no matter what we are facing in this life, we never face it alone.
In today’s verse, the psalmist hands us the key that unlocks the door to divine intervention: We are to cry out to the Lord. The cry of the heart is the pathway to healing, and I’d like to give you two reasons why this is true.
#1 The Lord Hears
Our Lord hears the cry of our heart. He is sensitive to our suffering. He knows what we are going through, and He wants us to turn to Him and trust Him, no matter what we are currently facing. Peter put it this way, “The eyes of the Lord are on the righteous and his ears are attentive to their prayer” (1 Peter 3:12). When waves of challenge come your way, cry out to the Lord! He hears you, He cares for you, and He will ultimately deliver you.
#2 The Lord Delivers
It’s important to understand what this means and does not mean. It does not mean God will always deliver us out of the difficult circumstance we are facing. Our deliverance will not always be physical; as we all know, we will eventually die. But God will always deliver us through our difficulties emotionally, mentally, or spiritually. Remember, the apostle Paul had a thorn that caused him great difficulty, yet God refused to remove it from him. Instead God delivered Paul through it, growing and maturing Paul in his faith.
Remember, troubles are a sign of our Savior’s mercy, David said, “Before I was afflicted I went astray, but now I obey your word” (Psalm 119:67). Every trial we face and every challenge that confronts us is another reminder of God’s mercy in our lives as He works to bring us to the end of ourselves, making us more and more like Jesus . . . and more and more dependent on Him, just as Jesus depended on His Father.
This is the Gospel. This is grace for your race. NEVER FORGET THAT . . . AMEN!
Grace for the Race 