SUNDAY CHOICE – Help Me – Do you ever feel like crying?
I’m not asking if you ever feel like whimpering or letting a tear slip down your cheek. I’m asking if you’ve ever been at the bottom of the barrel, at the point of utter despair, at that place where you doubted things could get any worse, and you just wanted to wail, to moan, to shout out to God? Do you ever feel like crying? If you do, or shall I say, when you do, I hope you go ahead and do it — I hope you cry out to God with all of your being, with all of your heart. Why? Because our God is the God of the brokenhearted and crushed in spirit. Because I believe our God wants us to cry out to him during those desperately lonely times of anguish.
David did it. Just read the Psalms and you’ll see. “Answer me when I call, O God of my righteousness!” (Psalm 4:1). “Give ear to my words, O Lord; consider my groaning” (Psalm 5:1). “Hear my prayer, O Lord; let my cry come to you!” (Psalm 102:1).
Paul did it. “For we were so utterly burdened beyond our strength that we despaired of life itself. Indeed, we felt that we had received the sentence of death” (2 Cor 1:8-9). “…A thorn was given me in the flesh, a messenger of Satan to harass me, to keep me from becoming conceited. Three times I pleaded with the Lord about this, that it should leave me” (2 Cor 12:7-8).
Jesus did it. “And he withdrew from them about a stone’s throw, and knelt down and prayed, saying, ‘Father, if you are willing, remove this cup from me. Nevertheless, not my will, but yours be done’…And being in agony he prayed more earnestly; and his sweat became like great drops of blood falling down to the ground” (Luke 22: 41-44). “About the ninth hour, Jesus cried out in a loud voice, ‘Eli, Eli, lema sabachthani?’ which means, ‘My God, My God, why have you forsaken Me?’” (Matthew 27:46).
We don’t like to cry but sometimes crying is necessary. Sometimes it’s even a command from Scripture. It is an admission of our weakness, which is a good thing. When we cry to God, we are essentially saying, “My Lord, my God, this is too much for me to bear. This is too much for me to handle. I’m giving it to you. I’m acknowledging you as the only one who can take it. I’m trusting you to hold me, to love me, to fix me. I’m relying on your strength, as I stop pretending that everything is alright, that I’ve got everything under control. My weakness is no surprise to you anyway, Lord. Here it is, here I give it to you.”
That’s an important prayer to pray sometimes. There are times to shout out prayers of thanksgiving, times to shout out prayers of praise, times to shout out prayers of confession and times to shout out prayers of desperation. Solomon said something like that in Ecclesiastes 3, right?
Of course, part of the process of crying is doing. Don’t forget that part. I sometimes hear a person say, “You need to do more than just pray,” or, “Save the prayer and well wishes. Do something!” These people fail to grasp the power of prayer, so their sentiments are mostly just foolishness, but such thinking does contain an ounce of truth — they are right that after we cry out to God first, as the starting point, we should then act. Fretting over the upcoming election? Cry out to God, then get out and vote for the godliest candidate. Worrying about your finances? Cry out to God, then develop a sensible plan. Missing a loved one? Cry out to God, then let your church family love you the way it is called to. Struggling against loneliness? Cry out to God, then connect with the people in your life he has brought across your path.
As a pastor, I meet hurting people often. I can try to console them, do my best to comfort them, but only God can bring them peace, hope, strength, victory. And it always starts with a cry.”· By Mark Wingfield
Today the world is in a crisis-affected by the covid-19 pandemic and many our crying out to God.
Let this be our cry too.
Help Me- Gene Watson
Lord, help me walk
Another mile
Just one more mile
I’m tired of walking all alone
Lord, help me smile
Another smile
Just one more smile
I know I just can’t make it on my own
{Chorus}
I’ve never thought I needed help before
I thought that I could do things by myself
Now I know I just can’t take it any more
With a humble heart
On bended knees
I’m begging you please
Help Me
Come down from your golden throne to me
To lowly me
I need to feel the touch of your tender hand
Remove the chains of darkness
And let me see
Lord let me see
Just where I fit into your master plan
{Chorus}
I’ve never thought I needed help before
I thought that I could do things by myself
But now I know I just can’t take it any more
With a humble heart
On bended knees
I’m begging you please
Help me
{Outro}
With a humble heart
On bended knees
I’m begging you please
Help me
