Then They Cried

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

When is it that we cry out to God and seek His deliverance? It is not usually when life is going good and everything is the way we want it. It is more likely to be the times life has fallen apart, pain has become unbearable, and we have run out of options. Deuteronomy 28:52 says, “They shall besiege you at all your gates until your high and fortified walls, in which you trust, come down throughout all your land.”

In Old Testament times God’s judgment usually came in the form of other nations taking His people captive. The nations would vary as would the bondage but the pain of captivity would eventually lead Israel to cry out to God for deliverance. That bondage was a picture of what it meant to be besieged….bound and tied up. They would literally be hedged in to the extent that there was no relief or freedom. The picture of a caged or cornered animal comes to mind. I marvel that it usually took decades before Israel would finally cry out to God for deliverance and help.

We as believers still make sinful choices. I have often heard it said that we can choose our sin but we cannot choose the consequence that will result. God knows each of us intimately and wants us to be free. Therefore, in order to turn us back toward Himself, He will select the very consequence that will produce enough pain to cause us to cry out to Him. His desire is that we would immediately call out to Him. The sooner the better.

I would like to say I am a quick learner and tend to cry out to God as soon as I experience the first taste of pain, but that is not always the case. It may take awhile for my heart to get to the point where I am ready to align myself with truth and seek His help for the right reason. Often my first response is to want alleviation from the pain I am feeling. God knows if given, I will quickly return to my former ways. So He waits for my tears to change. When they are free of bitterness, excuses, anger, and pity He is ready to step in and deliver me. He comes when my hands and heart are open to Him, because He knows it is then that I am desiring Him and His ways above my own. This is summed up in the most recent lesson He has been teaching me and that is to walk in truth and give Him total cooperation. That is the key that unlocks anything that has me all tied up.

Father, You know when I am finally lying prostrate before You in complete submission. Bend my knees and my will to Your ways. Amen.