A Cry for Help

      By Fern Horst

"And it came to pass in process of time, that the king of Egypt died: and the children of Israel sighed by reason of the bondage, and they cried, and their cry came up unto God by reason of the bondage. And God heard their groaning, and God remembered his covenant with Abraham, with Isaac, and with Jacob. And God looked upon the children of Israel, and God had respect unto them." (Exodus 2:23-25)

Have you ever cried out for help? Whether it was to a buddy to help lift something heavy, or to a friend to sob our hearts out to, I'm sure that we all have.

It's comforting to know that there is someone we can call when we need help. When my mother fell unconscious in the middle of the night, my father called me to come help, and I in turn called the ambulance. It was comforting to both of us to be able to call out to someone else who could come in the dark of the night to help us.

There are times, though, when we know of no human to cry out to who could possibly help us or even understand the depth of our hearts' cries. I've often said that singles are some of the silent sufferers. Our pastors and others seem to well understand the various types of painful and difficult situations that married individuals go through, and the rallying of support is strong in many of those cases. But because a single's life is not as well known or understood, our times of difficulties and deepest pain are often unnoticed or misunderstood.

During these times we as Christians have the privilege of knowing that there is indeed someone we can cry out to, just as the Israelites did when they found themselves burdened with an impossible situation. They cried out to the Lord and He heard them. We know from reading the Bible that God not only heard them, but He delivered them out of their distresses. Not just once, but many, many times over.

When I did a search in my Bible software for the phrase "cried unto the Lord," I found 195 occurrences in the Old Testament. Time and time again God's people cried out to Him, and He heard them. Thousands of years later, we who are God's people in the 21st century also have this same God to cry out to in our distress. We are so blessed that God is not just someone who empathizes with us, but He is also someone who will give us the help we need in every possible difficult situation. Whether it is giving us the wisdom and perspective we need to know what to do, or in changing the hearts of others in ways which we cannot, God never refuses to help us when we cry out to Him.

"Then they cried unto the LORD in their trouble, and he delivered them out of their distresses." (Psalm 107:6)

© 2007 Fern Horst

If you would like to reprint this devotional in its entirety, whether it be in your blog, on your website, in your church newsletter, or elsewhere, please contact us for permission. If you are quoting this devotional, please provide a cite and a link back to this page. Thank you!

Visit the Devotional Archives

We appreciate your feedback, which is an inspiration, encouragement, and blessing to us! Please use our Contact Us page to send us your response. Thanks!