Crying Out

As a kid growing up, I had the chore of looking for my little brother when it got close to dinnertime. I usually found him playing at a neighbor’s house. But one evening, he was not at any of the usual places. Mom phoned his friends but came up empty. This had never happened before.

I sat in my room without any idea what to do — my heart racing. I dropped to my knees and prayed like crazy, hoping my brother would make it home safely. I never prayed so hard before. A few long minutes passed and the front doorbell rang. It was my brother. “Sorry! I’m a little late,” he said. “Mom, I went to the store to pick up ice cream for dessert.”

In our Christian journey, moments will arise where we find ourselves desperate for something seemingly out of reach. It might have to do with our health, like the leper in Mark 1, financial worries, relationship challenges, or something else in another area of our lives.

In these moments of frantic and worry, our loving God wants us to reach out to him, pleading on our knees as the leper did. Our prayers from the deep places in our hearts will not go unnoticed by our Savior. He hears us and knows what we need.

Let us never doubt the power of faith and prayer. Show your trust in Jesus and cry out to your Savior when overwhelming circumstances emerge out of nowhere.

Lord, let me never feel ashamed to come to you with my desperate cries for help when I find myself at a dead end. Deepen my faith; do not allow me to doubt your ability and eagerness to come to my aid. Amen.

Throughout This Day: When you feel worried and overwhelmed, bring your cries to the Lord. Turn to psalms, like Psalm 42, to give you the words to voice your concerns to him. Here is a song that can help guide you.