Bring me out of this prison so I can praise you again. Set me free. Break my chains. Let this captive run free.
With every passing second, tree branches snapped and fell. My mom and I were racing through the woods at lightning speed, but can you truly outrun a tornado? The sky was dark. Flooded trails blurred into one colossal mess of a mudslide. Two thoughts filled my mind: death and life.
Isaiah 26:3 illuminated my spirit. Grasping my mom's hand, I recited the verse half a thousand times: "You will keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on You because he trusts in You" (NKJV). But after 20 miles of hiking, we realized we were lost.
We prayed, cried, and asked God to show us the way. His answer wasn't immediate or audible. And though we ended up in a parking lot, God's grace helped us make it out of the forest that day. Alive. This scenario happened over five years ago now, but I've never forgotten it because I believe God wanted me to remember one thing: Even when we're in the middle of chaos, God wants us to cry out to Him. And the real question is, will you?
It's Good to Cry Out
Did you know that it's good for us to cry out to the Lord? To pour our complaints before Him and tell Him our troubles?
I think that, unfortunately, we're often taught and believe the misconception that God only wants to hear from us when everything is peachy. We believe the dishonest thought that God only wants to hear from us when we're giving thanks and praising Him. But God desires to hear from us at all times.
Psalm 40:1 notes, "I waited patiently for the LORD to help me, and he turned to me and heard my cry" (NLT).
Psalm 66:17-20 rejoices, "I cried to him with my mouth, and high praise was on my tongue. If I had cherished iniquity in my heart, the Lord would not have listened. But truly God has listened; he has attended to the voice of my prayer. Blessed be God, because he has not rejected my prayer or removed his steadfast love from me!" (ESV).
1 John 5:14-15 proclaims, "And this is the confidence that we have toward him, that if we ask anything according to his will he hears us. And if we know that he hears us in whatever we ask, we know that we have the requests that we have asked of him" (ESV).
These are just a handful of thousands of examples we can pull from Scripture.
Though God already knows our thoughts (Psalm 94:11; Psalm 139:23-24; Psalm 139:2, 4; Romans 8:27-29) and what we're going to say before we say it (Psalm 139:4), He wants us to come to Him. When we're overwhelmed, let's run to Him. When all is well, let's run to Him.
A Model for Crying Out
When we don't know what else to say, where to go, or what to do, let us run to Him. Psalm 142 models "crying out," this way: "I cry out to the LORD; I plead for the LORD's mercy. I pour out my complaints before him and tell him all my troubles. When I am overwhelmed, you alone know the way I should turn. Wherever I go, my enemies have set traps for me" (vv.1-3, NLT).
This is the problem with going to people first instead of God.
Have you ever asked someone for advice on a situation but already made up your mind on what you wanted them to say? I have many times—especially with my mom when I still lived at home (sorry, Mom!) and my husband now (sorry, not sorry, Ben!).
A couple of weeks ago, I was angry about a particular injustice. Like most women, I wanted my husband to share my anger and agree with their wrongdoing. Instead, he sought to see both sides and defend the other party. Ben is great at showing grace and understanding from multiple perspectives. But at that moment, I just wanted him to validate my hurt and angry feelings—not defend someone else. My mind was already made up before I'd even given him a chance to speak.
When we go to people with our problems first instead of the Lord, a lot of people won't give a passing thought or care. Most individuals are curious but not caring. Psalm 142:4 describes them this way: "I look for someone to come and help me, but no one gives me a passing thought! No one will help me; no one cares a bit what happens to me" (NLT).
While Ben cared for me and gave genuine sound advice, approaching God first would've been better. Not because God would tell me what I wanted to hear but what I needed to hear. Wisdom is discerning the difference.
You Won't Always Get What You Want
Let me say that again. Going to God with our problems before anyone else is essential and necessary. We need to be vulnerable, transparent, and honest. We must learn to peel back the layers and show our true selves. But, God isn't always going to tell us what we want to hear. He's going to promise to tell us the truth and comfort us there.
What I love about Psalm 142 is that reminder of who God is even amid my suffering: "Then I pray to you, O Lord. I say, “You are my place of refuge. You are all I really want in life" (v. 5, NLT).
God is our refuge, a strong tower, and a place of safety. He's all we want (or should want) in life, not for the answers He can give us, but simply for who He is. He is holy. He is steadfast. He is true. He is eternal. He is perfect.
A Prayer
Let this be our prayer and declaration today, no matter the hardships we face:
Dear Jesus,
Hear our cries (Psalm 142:6). We are so low, sinking in depression, agony, despair, and anxiety, (you fill in the blank with your crises, situation, or mental health issue). Please rescue me from the enemy. Whatever that enemy may be (fill in the blank with a mental health issue or struggle, physical need, spiritual need, etc.). It can be hard to fight when the enemy is strong. Too strong for me. But God, they aren't too strong for you. You are my refuge and strength. You are my stronghold and place of safety.
Bring me out of this prison so I can praise you again. Set me free. Break my chains. Let this captive run free. We might not be in a physical jail like many in the Scriptures, but we know what it's like to be kept hostage by others and our minds. Rescue us, sweet Jesus. We're coming to you first. And we declare, yes, we hope in prayerful anticipation and faith, that you hear our prayers.
Together with other believers, we can look back at what you have done. For you are good to me. You are good to us. We love you, praise you, and give you all the glory, honor, and praise. In Jesus' Name. Amen.
"Hear my cry, for I am very low. Rescue me from my persecutors, for they are too strong for me. Bring me out of prison so I can thank you. The godly will crowd around me, for you are good to me." Psalm 142:6-7 (NLT)
Agape, Amber
Photo Credit: ©BrilliantEye/Getty Images
