No one in Scripture shows more vital faith in the God who hears than David, the man after God’s own heart. In one psalm he states, “Evening and morning and at noon I will pray, and cry aloud, and He shall hear my voice. ” 3 The Hebrew word here for crying aloud is hamah, with the connotation of a loud humming or murmuring—even to a growl or roar.
“In my distress,” David says elsewhere, “/ called upon the LORD, and cried out to my God; He heard my voice from His temple, and my cry came before Him, even to His ears .” 6 Here the word for Davids outcry is shava, connoting a higher-pitched shout for help. David assures us, “The eyes of the Lord are on the righteous, and His ears are open to their cry. ” 7
An actual shriek, as if in grief, is the root meaning of the word tsa’aq, which David uses in these lines: “The righteous cry out, and the LORD hears, and delivers them out of all their troubles .” 8 And a ringing or shrill sound is conveyed in the word rinnah, which David chose to loudly plead, “Hear my cry, O God .” 9
Repeatedly, David found in his experience that what he uttered aloud with such deep and sincere emotion, God heard: “/ cried to the LORD with my voice, and He heard me
from His holy hill_O LORD my God, I cried out to You,
and You healed me. ” 10
Over and over David demonstrates his trust that God would hear him yet again: “The LORD will hear when I call
to Him_ To You I will cry, O LORD my Rock_Hear the
voice of my supplications when I cry to You. ” n
Can there be any doubt? David clearly means us to understand that his prayers are actually sounded out: “I cry out to the LORD with my voice; with my voice to the LORD I make my supplication .” 12
The son of Jesse spoke his prayers aloud with faith and fervency. Praying aloud was no mechanical formula or gimmick or “lucky rabbits foot” with David.
It was a natural outflow of a love relationship with his listening Lord.
CHILD TO FATHER
This can be true for you and me as well. Today. Right now.
The more we believe in the ongoing miracle that God actually hears us —through the way opened up for us into His sanctuary by Christs blood—the more freely and fervently we’ll give voice to our prayers.. .to the delight of our Father’s heart.
We know from our own families that a true father’s heart hears his children’s cries, and that the children naturally cry to him. In the same way, crying out to God is our child-to-Father impulse, planted in our hearts by the Holy Spirit within us.
“Because you are sons,” Paul teaches us in the New Testament, “God has sent forth the Spirit of His Son into your hearts, crying out, ‘Abba, Father !’” 13 The Greek verb used here for crying out is a strong word, usually translated as “shouting.” The Holy Spirit Himself is at work within us to prompt our crying out aloud to God. And because God is compassionate, gracious, and always faithful to His promise, He will indeed hear and answer these cries that He Himself inspires.
J J otnts to CPonJer
Have you ever found yourself deliberately suppressing the urge to cry out to your heavenly Father? Could it be that you’ve quenched the Spirit of God by this action? If so, it’s time to make a change—and respond to Him in humility and obedience.
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