Cry out to God

My pastor, Stephen Crupi, preached about Lamentatations 2 on Sunday morning.  Verse nineteen caught my attention.

“Arise, cry out in the night, at the beginning of the night watches!Pour out your heart like water before the presence of the Lord!Lift your hands to him for the lives of your children,who faint for hunger at the head of every street." (ESV)

Thankfully today, most of the children of the world are not suffering with physical hunger, but they hunger for the things of this world.  Many adults are the same way sad to say.

When Pastor Stephen read the verse in Lamentations, another cry out to God verse I heard over fifteen years ago at a ladies conference immediately came to mind. Thankfully I had noted the passage so I could find it. The verse is Psalm 57:2 

I cry out to God Most High, to God who fulfills his purpose for me.

On this particular day in June of 2008, my Mom and I sat listening to Joanna Arp with heavy hearts and minds.  My Dad had a biopsy earlier that week and Mom was scheduled to have one later the next week. Evidence pointed to the probablility that my Dad had cancer.  My Mom had a benign growth removed from her thyroid about twelve years before.  A new growth had been found during a neck ultrasound at the ER a few weeks earlier. I was convinced that my Mom would be clear.  

So, as Joanna read this verse in Psalms, it was a very real "Cry out to God" moment as she called it.  My Dad's biopsy was clear.  My Mom's was not. She had thyroid cancer. Thankfully surgery and a dose of radiation put Mom in remission quickly.

Many times through the years, that verse has come back to mind when I am going through a big crisis.  That and Philippians 4:6.  I told someone recently that it is very challenging to put that "Don't worry about anything" into practice when circumstances seem out of control and maybe even hopeless. I know in my heart I just need to let go and let God take control, but my naturally anxious mind fights that fact.

In those times, Pastor Stephen reminded us Sunday morning, that we can and should cry out to God.  It's okay to be honest with God no matter how uncomfortable it is.  He knows what we are thinking anyway so we may as well let it out. 

I can testify that crying out to God works.  It's like when I cried out to God to send me a  man to love in March of 1997,  God was just waiting for me to ask.  Less than twelve hours later, he answered that cry better than I could ever imagine.  On that early Sunday morning, I had absolutely no clue that nearly six months later, I'd be walking down the aisle to the wedding march played by the dear friend who introduced Tim and I back in January of that year.  I'm so thankful for God answering my prayer.

I have found through the years, that God answers even the seemingly unimportant requests.  I clearly remember one morning, I had taken my son to the doctor. At the time, our minivan's battery kept on dying at random times.  It had done so while we were in the doctor office.  I prayed that the car next to us on either side would move before Tim arrived to jump start our vehicle. Just before Tim arrived, someone did leave.  It was amazing!

This past week, I've done a lot of crying to God to heal my firstborn, Elijah.  He is very ill with pneumonia and the effects of severe dehydration. Thankfully, on Sunday afternoon, he had brought his sweet girlfriend Mody down to visit for the weekend as he has done for over a year.  She convinced him to go to the Emergency Room.  I'm so thankful that their friend Kasey was willing and able to take him .   If you are reading this on October 23 or soon after, please pray for Elijah.  I know many of you have been great prayer warriors for my family and I. Thank you so much for your support and encouragement through the years I've been writing this blog.  It's been over sixteen years.  Wow! I hope my posts have been encouraging to you all.