He Hears your Cries

The righteous cry out, and the Lord hears them; he delivers them from all their troubles. — Psalm 34:17

Before we go any further, I must remind you that you are righteous. Righteous doesn’t mean perfect. It just means that you are in right standing with God because of your relationship with Christ. Your righteous standing gives you access to all of the promises of God, including this one: God not only hears your cries, but His promise is to deliver you from all your troubles.

As I read scriptures like this, I wonder why all “righteous” people do not receive their deliverance. But the Holy Spirit recently prompted me to look at the verse again. It begins, “The righteous cry out.” Perhaps our cries to God are a condition of being heard and delivered by Him. Crying out implies humility and surrender to God, trust in God, and faith that He can handle our situation. Those who refuse to cry out perhaps may be dealing with pride, don’t believe that God can change their situation, or rely too much on themselves and their own ability to change their circumstances. To cry out to God requires an act of faith.

Today, whether you’re facing a situation that requires you to cry out to God or this is simply information for a later date, I want you to remember that your crying out to God is an act of great faith. It symbolizes your understanding that this situation is much bigger than what you can handle on your own. It communicates that God is the only One who has your answer—the only One who is big enough to deliver you from all of your troubles.

God is asking us, “Will you have the faith to be vulnerable before Me?”

REFLECTION

Have you viewed the vulnerable state of “crying out” as an act of faith before now? When was the last time you cried out to God about something? What was the outcome of your cries?

PRAYER

Dear God, You are my safe space and my refuge. I trust You with everything, including my cries. Holy Spirit, please help me be vulnerable before the Lord so that I can receive complete deliverance. In Jesus’s name, amen.