"A Cry That Counts"

"Give us help from trouble: for vain is the help of man." (Psalms 108:12)

 Remember when you were a child and you thought wishes could come true? Whether it was wishing upon a star, or it was blowing out your birthday candles, that wish meant something in your heart, and you anticipated what might become of it. Not quite sure why I brought that up, except that there is something about hope and faith that makes even the worst day of our lives a little better. I can't say that I remember a single thing that I had ever wished for; maybe because what I wished for was a thing, and things hardly count for anything worth holding onto. Every since I was about ten or so, I can remember crying out to God for help. It was about that time in my life when my parents were always having drunken fights; it got to a point when home was not that safe of a place anymore. I did believe in God, that much I can remember; but I had no idea who God really was or if He even cared about my cry for help. Regardless, it felt good to get it out and have someone worth crying to, if you know what I am talking about. Now when I cry out to God for help, it always means something more; if I have an issue with God answering my cry, it is only if He agrees with my request or not, not if He is listening or whether or not He cares. These days crying is not something that happens because of suffering or situations; not like when I was younger, when I seemed like the world was bigger than God. God is so much bigger to me now; more so than I ever imagined He could be. Now when I cry out, it is only because my heart hurts and I know that He can make it all better. I know I shared on this before, but God does soothe our aching hearts, if we let Him. I remember crying so hard and feeling God touch my shoulder, almost as if to say, "It is okay, go ahead and get it out." But then, after about ten or fifteen minutes of crying, it felt as though He had taken His hand off, and was saying, "Okay, that's enough of that; now rejoice in Me." And the funny thing was, I actually could...

"This is what the LORD says: "Cursed are those who put their trust in mere humans, who rely on human strength and turn their hearts away from the LORD. They are like stunted shrubs in the desert, with no hope for the future. They will live in the barren wilderness, in an uninhabited salty land. "But blessed are those who trust in the LORD and have made the LORD their hope and confidence. They are like trees planted along the riverbank, with roots that reach deep into the water. Such trees are not bothered by the heat or worried by long months of drought. Their leaves stay green, and they never stop producing fruit. "The human heart is the most deceitful of all things, and desperately wicked. Who really knows how bad it is? But I, the LORD, search all hearts and examine secret motives. I give all people their due rewards, according to what their actions deserve."" (Jeremiah 17:5-10) NLT