God hears our cries

Psalm 18:6 (KJV) – “In my distress I called upon the LORD, and cried unto my God: he heard my voice out of his temple, and my cry came before him, even into his ears.”

As believers, we read this passage, and it makes sense to us.

We know we can cry out to God, seeking His help, and He will hear us.

What about the lost?

They, too, are crying out for help, even if they don’t know they are crying out to God.

Their pain, suffering, distress, depression, sickness, confusion, etc., is the same as ours, save they are lost with no eternal hope.

Psalms 34:17 (KJV) – “The righteous cry, and the LORD heareth, and delivereth them out of all their troubles.”

And if the lost cry out to God, He will hear them, because He loves them just as He loves those who believe.

Psalm 145:18 (KJV) – “The LORD is nigh unto all them that call upon him, to all that call upon him in truth.”

The lost just need direction … to the saving grace of Christ Jesus.

Psalm 34:4 (KJV) – “I sought the LORD, and he heard me, and delivered me from all my fears.”

Matthew 11:28 (KJV) – “Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.”

How can the lost find direction?

Through you, disciple.

Romans 10:14 (KJV) – “How then shall they call on him in whom they have not believed? and how shall they believe in him of whom they have not heard? and how shall they hear without a preacher?”

1 Peter 4:10 (KJV) – “As every man hath received the gift, even so minister the same one to another, as good stewards of the manifold grace of God.”

Now, disciple, be there for them when the lost are crying.

3 Questions for now

When we keep our hearts sensitive and our eyes open so we may see others where we are, the opportunities to connect with someone abound.

Everyone is scurrying around in busy lives, so we as believers can stand out by simply slowing down.

God will connect you with someone who is crying inside. Just be ready and be you when connecting with them.

When you get to one of those divine intersections, here are some questions:

• Have you ever thought about what it means to be forgiven by God?

• Do you ever think about the idea of receiving God's love even though we don’t deserve it?

• What do you think it means to be "saved" according to the Bible?

Like it says in 1 Peter 4:10, share according to your gifts.

God has given you ways to talk with others.

Be kind. Love others. Be bold.

Shawn’s noodling rant:

(“Noodling” is a term I swiped from my mentor. The meaning is to “ponder” or “think deeply about” a topic that God is challenging us with through scripture or the Holy Spirit, or both.)

Do you hear the cries of those hurting?

Back in my younger days I listened to a lot of wild music. And it’s even wilder today.

Whether yester year or tomorrow, most music will reveal a central theme of someone hurting and seeking a better situation in life.

There is a hard-nosed band with a song where the lyrics really hit home when it comes to exposing pain and seeking something more. (Don’t look it up, it has a vulgar word used to express pain.) But when you don’t have any real connection to God and don’t know the Savior, the lyrics are very relatable to a large audience.

The essence of the lyrics is that the singer, and the audience, are seeking someone to “wash it all away.”

The lyrics are striking: given up on society, family, morality, media; done with hypocrisy, chaos, all of the lies – “I’ve given up on everything.”

“I’m wasting here, can anyone wash it all away?”

The lyrics are striking to me because they reveal how even hard-nosed rock ‘n roll people – who don’t lead lives of purity – are essentially singing a song crying out to God and asking for someone to give them relief from all their suffering.

As believers we know who the “someone” is who can “wash it all away” – Jesus.

Matthew 11:28 (KJV) – “Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.”

But how will these lost hard-rockers, and so many others, know about the cleansing power of Jesus if believers don’t share the Gospel with them?

I believe God hears the cries of the lost for deliverance from the ills of this world.

And He sends us to deliver His Word of healing and salvation.

1 Corinthians 6:11 (KJV) – “And such were some of you: but ye are washed, but ye are sanctified, but ye are justified in the name of the Lord Jesus, and by the Spirit of our God.”

Hebrews 10:22 (KJV) – “Let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience, and our bodies washed with pure water.”

1 John 1:7-9 (KJV) – “7 But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin. 8 If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. 9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”

The world is crying out in pain.

“Please, wash it all away!”

We believers must share the One who can do just that.

Now, disciple, do you hear the cries?