"In my distress I called to the Lord; I cried to my God for help. From his temple he heard my voice; my cry came before him, into his ears."
-Psalm 18: 6

Hear My Cry!

The words of the hymn we were singing that Sunday morning at Maple Grove spoke clearly to me. It was the song 'Pass Me Not, O Gentle Savior,' written by Fanny Crosby who lived between 1820-1915. "Pass me not, O gentle Savior, hear my humble cry; while on others thou art calling, do not pass me by. Savior, Savior, hear my humble cry; while on others thou art calling, do not pass me by." I don't care who you are, no matter how 'tough' you pretend to be, there are going to be times in life when you are down, hit rock bottom. We live in a calloused world that tries to teach us to 'buck up' and just deal with life and I do believe there is a time and place for that. But what about those times where you feel you just can't face it, face yourself? What are you supposed to do then?

King David was a 'man's man.' I would challenge anybody reading this to put their life's accomplishments up against David's. From the slaying of the giant, Goliath, to the forging of a kingdom of Israel of which he took to new heights of power during his reign. From his military exploits where he was a warrior unmatched by any other to his ability to write the Psalms, songs and prayers to God. David's life is full of 'mountain top highs' but he also knew what it felt like to be at the 'very bottom.' There is one constant to David's life, however, whether he was at the top or the bottom, he knew that he was nothing without God. He put his faith completely in God at all times in his life. Let's take Psalm 130 as an example. "Out of the depths I cry to you, O Lord; O Lord, hear my voice. Let you ears be attentive to my cry for mercy. If you, O Lord, kept a record of sins, O Lord, who could stand? But with you there is forgiveness; therefore you are feared. I wait for the Lord, my soul waits, and in his word I put my hope. My soul waits for the Lord more than watchmen wait for the morning, more than watchmen wait for the morning. O Israel, put your hope in the Lord, for with the Lord is unfailing love and with him is full redemption. He himself will redeem Israel from all their sins." (Psalm 130)

That last verse, "He himself will redeem Israel from all their sins." (Psalm 130: 8), God did that very thing hundreds of years later with the sacrifice of His Son, Jesus. I don't care how tough you think you are, how 'self-sufficient.' There are going to be times when this world knocks you down. I am so grateful to have a Lord that hears our cry! How about you? And what can God do for you? Here is what he did for David, "He reached down from on high and took hold of me; he drew me out of deep waters. He rescued me from my powerful enemy, from my foes who were too strong for me." (Psalm 18: 16-17) Yes, the Lord does hear our cry! And with Him there is always hope! With Him our cries for help will turn into hymns of praise (read Psalm 40: 1-3 below). Amen!

Take a moment and encourage someone this week.

I pray that all is well with you. Please let me know if you have any prayer concerns or praises. Have a great week and remember to smile :), the Lord loves you!

In Christ,

Shan D. Hartsough

"I waited patiently for the Lord; he turned to me and heard my cry. He lifted me out of the slimy pit, out of the mud and mire; he set my feet on a rock and gave me a firm place to stand. He put a new song in my mouth, a hymn of praise to our God..."
-Psalm 40: 1-3

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