Devotion
Cries to God Are Heard
David Jacobs
Times of desperation come from time to time in life. Sometimes it's a school test, or it can be something as grave as waiting to hear the results of a surgery. Whatever it is, it can be overwhelming, and even those of us who struggle in our relationship with God can't help but cry out and call upon His mighty name.
When our hearts are filled with fear or dread or even anxious hope, crying out to God may feel like the only thing we can do, the only option on our plate. We are not alone in this. The Bible is filled with stories of people crying out to God in desperation and hopelessness.
There is one important truth that we must know about these cries, these outpourings of emotion, and that is that the Father hears them. He hears each and every one. God heard Moses' cry of anguish in Exodus 17 (3-7) and he heard His people's cry to deliver them in Judges 3 (9-11), and he hears you whenever you cry out in great need. In fact, He wants His children to cry out and call on His name when great burdens weigh on our hearts, and when we are unsure what to say to God, he sends His Holy Spirit to intercede the message of our hearts.
Prayer
It is important to know that there is a difference between our cries to God and our prayers. In prayer, we bring many things to the Father at once, emptying our hearts before His throne, listening to what He has to say to us. Our time of crying out to God comes when we are so overcome with emotion that we can't help call on him.
Night Prayer
Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye make clean the outside of the cup and of the platter, but within they are full of extortion and excess.
Inspiration
We despise the thought of a pile of dirty dishes in the sink. The outside is easy to clean; it's the caked-up residue on the inside that's so difficult to remove. Jesus compares the scribes and Pharisees with dishes that have been wiped clean on the outside while dirty inside. The Pharisees took exceptional care of their outward appearance and neglected their inward spirits. We are guilty of allowing our hearts to be left filthy as well. We look and act as we should while our souls are full of darkness. We must continue to converse with the Holy Spirit daily and trust His guidance to cleanse our sinful nature.
Prayer
Dear God, Please forgive our sinful nature. We yearn for cleansing from within, so we are genuine witnesses to Your name. In Jesus' Name, Amen.
