God Hears Your Cries
Rosann Coulon, Guest Writer
Today’s Treasure
This poor man cried, and the LORD heard him, and saved him out of all his troubles.
Psalm 34:6 KJV
Looking into the mirror, the dark under-eye circles were evident on my thinning face. I hardly recognized the gaunt person staring back at me as I questioned how much weight I had lost. The totality of the loss was sinking in.
I trembled down the hall and collapsed onto the bed with a heaviness too intense to bear. It seemed I had traded physical weight for an emotional burden of incomprehensible magnitude.
In a short time, a diagnosis of Fibromyalgia and Chronic Fatigue Syndrome had cost me my career, rental home, church family, and now my engagement. In the morning I would begin the four-hour journey back to my parents' home for the unforeseeable future.
In one fell swoop, my dreams had shattered, hope vanished, and joy plummeted. How do you find joy in so much loss? And, how do you lie down and sleep when the future holds so much uncertainty?
I went to the only place I knew to go. I went to God's Word seeking comfort and reassurance. In anguish and tears, I whispered, "God, I need you," as I opened up the Psalms. I sensed God enter the room as I rested upon Psalm 34.
David penned this chapter after he had been forced to flee home, relationships, and dreams because King Saul had placed a bounty on his head. He, too, was alone staring at an uncertain future.
David in his time of need called on the Lord.
In this one chapter, we are told two times that God heard David (vs. 4 & 6), that “his ears are open to our cries” (vs. 15), and that the Lord hears and delivers the righteous out of all of their troubles (vs. 17).
Suddenly, I had an epiphany. This "poor man" was no longer David, it was me. I was crying to God from the lowest point in my life and God was hearing me. Not only was He hearing me, He was promising that He would deliver me from "all" of my troubles.
God doesn't go halfway, or almost all of the way––He goes allof the way. He takes us through––and out––of all of our troubles. He's not only the God who hears, but He is the God who delivers.
Deliverance is often ushered in by surrender. Surrendering to the truth that God alone is sufficient to meet our needs frees us from the drudgery of seeking what cannot be found in this world.
The things of earth that we place our hopes and dreams on only leave us unfulfilled, empty, and longing for more. But, God never does:
In His presence is fullness of joy and at His right hand are pleasures forevermore
Did this encounter immediately end my suffering? No. My health continued to decline in that season, and my engagement was not restored. In the loss of those dreams, God gave me new dreams. He moved me back home to provide me with the husband that He had chosen for me.
He met me to assure me that He was delivering me, just not in the way that my physical eyes could see. He allowed my heart to break so that He could mend it with a life far greater than I could imagine.
LIFE-GIVING ENCOURAGEMENT
Maybe your heartbreak doesn't look exactly like the heartbreak I endured. Perhaps you are just in a season where you need assurance that God hears you. I encourage you to cry out to Him. He is the God who hears. He is the God who delivers. He is the God who saves.
PRAYER
Dear Father, thank You for hearing the cries of my heart and for Your promise of deliverance. In Jesus’ Name, Amen
More free resources for help, hope, and healing:
Anchored Hope Biblical Counseling – Biblically grounded, clinically informed virtual counseling. We offer convenient and confidential virtual counseling with theologically educated and professionally trained counselors.
About the Author: Rosann Coulon has experienced disappointment, pain, and loss. Through it all she has learned that God is faithful. Her desire is to spread biblical hope and encouragement to those living in hard seasons. Rosann has written for various online publications, including Hosanna Revival: WHEN blog, TGC, and Just Between Us. Visit Rosann's website at leavingawell.com to receive free encouraging resources. You can also connect with her at instagram.com/rosann_coulon.
For more from Daily Treasure please visit MARKINC.ORG.
Originally published Monday, 02 September 2024.
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