In my distress I called to the Lord; I called out to my God. From his temple he heard my voice; my cry came to his ears. (2 Samuel 22:7 NIV)

The cries that awaken a mother in the middle of the night are many and varied.

There’s the cry that says, I’m feeling a little lonely; it would be nice to see your face. Another cry says, Something disturbed me. I don’t like it, and I think you ought to know about it. My diaper’s wet or my tummy’s hungry.

And then there’s the cry that could raise the dead. You know, the one that jerks you upright and on your feet even before your eyes are open.

A weekend with my granddaughter, Lauren, allowed me to experience all three of these cries. I was visiting for the weekend and offered to babysit so my daughter and son-in-law could have an evening out.

Following their usual bedtime ritual, I bathed Lauren, read her a bedtime story, and tucked her into bed. An hour or so later, I heard her whimper. Tiptoeing to her room, I peeked in to check on her. Apparently she had lost her pacifier and was rustling around in search of it. I watched her find it in the semi-darkness, slide it into her mouth, and drift off to sleep again.

Later that night, after I had gone to bed, I again heard a cry from her room. I tiptoed to the door to check on her. Although her cries were louder than before, she settled down in a few minutes with no intervention from me.

At 5 a.m., however, it was a different story. Shrill screams pierced the air, causing me to sit straight up in bed. My daughter, now home and asleep, responded instantly, but it took several minutes before Lauren’s cries subsided.

Wise parents learn to distinguish between the cries that warrant immediate attention, the ones that need monitoring, and those that are best ignored.

But regardless of the reason, mothers hear every cry. Their ears are attuned to the sound of their babies’ voices, and their hearts are knit together.

God the Father is the same way. David describes God’s responsiveness in 2 Samuel 22:7:

“In my distress I called to the Lord; I called out to my God. From his temple he heard my voice; my cry came to his ears.”

God also responds to our cries for help. Psalm 91:14 reads,

“‘Because he loves me,’ says the Lord, ‘I will rescue him; I will protect him, for he acknowledges my name.’”

At times, however, in his infinite wisdom, God chooses not to respond to our requests immediately. Perhaps He knows we need to learn lessons or develop skills. Maybe He knows our faith muscles need strengthening or that waiting for His response will help develop our character. He knows that persevering in faith, even when we can’t see God at work, makes us stronger.

Uncommon Thought
If you’re crying out today, be comforted and encouraged by the knowledge that God hears every cry and always responds in a timely manner in the way that is best—because He loves you.

Unusual Faith
Has there been a time when God seemed deaf to your cries, but later you saw how He was working on your behalf? You can trust God for the present situation based on His faithfulness in the past. Cry out to Him, tell Him your needs, and watch to see how He responds.

Taken from Refresh Your Faith: Uncommon Devotions from Every Book of the Bible by Lori Hatcher© 2020.

Scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated are taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV®, Copyright© 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.™ Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved worldwide. Zondervan.com 

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