The Power of Crying Out

"In moments of fear, anxiety, and trouble, the right step toward experiencing God's powerful deliverance and protection is to simply cry out - to use our voice in fervent appeal for His help."  Bill Gothard

Do you ever practice crying out to God for help? 

I think most of us do, especially when we’ve been in serious trouble.  This is how our Biblical predecessors often prayed.  Fervency in prayer and crying out loud is key a deeper prayer life.  My husband has often tells others that fervent, passionate prayer is the type of prayer you’d pray if your airplane were falling from the sky.  You would cry out to God in desperation with all your heart!  There would be no place for distracted, apathetic prayer under those circumstances.  No way!  It would be a life and death matter! 

Many of us are facing impossible circumstances where the "crying out" type of prayer is needed for spiritual breakthrough.  Crying out loud seems to be a key to a powerful prayer life that influences heaven and sees tremendous answers.  Often we are urged by the Spirit to cry an impassioned declaration of God’s powerful ability.  It demonstrates our total dependence on God to accomplish the victory.  We need to catch hold of this truth and apply it to our prayer lives.  We read in Psalm 86:7, “In the day of trouble I will call upon you, for you will answer me.”  When we cry out to God, we experience His all-sufficient, supernatural power to answer us.

God often arranges our circumstances so there seems to be no way out. 

Haven’t you been there?  The problem doesn't seem to go away.  But in response to our crying out to Him, He answers.  He may bring healing, protection, or direction.  He wants to show us that He is our sole saving power when we are at the end of all our known resources.  In the Bible there is a consistent pattern of God's people crying out to Him and His answering in His power.  David often cried aloud to God with deep emotion when in desperate situations, and God answered his cry.  He says in Psalm 61:1, "The righteous cry out, and the Lord hears, and delivers them out of all their trouble."  Bill Gothard in his book The Power of Crying Out states:

"Many believers today seem unaware of this consistent pattern in God's Word.  It could even be said that the most significant difference between the prayers of God's saints in Scripture (so powerfully effective) and our prayers today (so seemingly ineffective) is this: There was a fervency in the prayers of biblical saints - a fervency that is inherent in crying out.”

Crying out to God is not something we do mechanically, but it flows out of our relationship with Him.  Do we really know that God actually hears us and longs to hear our cry?  He is our father and loves to hear our voice.  We have the authority and right as His children to call fervently to our Father.  Do we realize that there is power in the spoken word?  When it is spoken fervently, sincerely and with all our heart, it is even more powerful.  Do we realize that as we cry out to God aloud, He sees that we are seriously and boldly coming to His throne of grace?  Do we not comprehend that when we cry out to God in our distress He will answer? 

We will see that crying out in prayer is the very turning point that brings His deliverance.  It happened often in the Bible and can happen for us as well.  Notice in Psalm 107:6, 13, 19, and 28 how God loves to answer those with a sincere heart in their need.  "Then they cried out to the Lord in their trouble, and He delivered them out of their distresses.”  Crying out triggers God's deliverance over and over again.  Many of you are facing desperate situations in your life.  Our nations are facing desperate situations.  A devastating earthquake recently in Haiti, a financial crisis in many nations, starvation and hunger, and so many other alarming situations.  Learn to cry aloud to God with all your heart.  Trust Him - your deliverer - to undertake in your behalf.

"Days of trouble.  Hours of crisis.  Moments of urgent and fearful need.  They come to us all unexpectedly, like a thief in the night.  How can we prepare for such times?  We can prepare by being ready to cry aloud to the Lord for His saving help, boldly expecting His deliverance.  God invites and expects His beloved ones to do exactly that:  ‘Call upon Me in the day of trouble,' He tells us; 'I will deliver you, and you shall glorify Me.” 

The Doulos ship, that sailed from country to country, was our home for several years.  During one of our voyages - with over 300 persons from 40 nations aboard - we were sailing down the coast of South America and were about to enter the Straits of Magellan.  This is a narrow, long passage of quite some distance off the coast of Chile.  Our next port of ministry was the southernmost city at the tip of Chile.  You could consider this area of the world the “ends of the earth.”  The straits are known for their treacherous and dangerous seas. 

The weather at the time was stormy, and the waves were choppy and unsafe which would make it very difficult for our old ship to pass through safely.  This ship - built in 1914 and in the Guinness Book of World Records as the oldest floating passenger ship in the world - caused great concern as we anticipated this dangerous journey.  In light of our situation, the captain made an urgent request to gather together immediately and pray for God to calm the seas.  He told us to cry out to God to give us a safe passage through the Straits of Magellan so that we could arrive on time at our next port. 

With no time to waste, the entire staff and crew gathered together in our main lounge to pray.  You can imagine the thoughts that raced through our minds and the level of anxiety many of us felt as we hurried to the main lounge.  After all, we were on a tiny, old ship imagining the possibility of being tossed around in treacherous seas.  At that moment we felt very dependent on a supernatural God who could turn our situation around by His power and might. 

We began to pray and cry out to God to calm the seas for His glory.  Perhaps you can guess what happened next.  Yes!  God answered prayer - the seas became still - and the ship passed peacefully through the narrow passage.

My future husband and I sat on deck and admired the beauty of God’s creation in this gorgeous part of the world.  We had met each other on board, and this was our first date and one we will always remember.  During that voyage we saw many shipwrecks along the way right in the midst of all the natural beauty of massive rocks and clear blue seas.  This was a vivid reminder of God’s powerful answer to our desperate prayers.

Is crying out to God effective? 

It certainly is - Our ship was able to reach its destination safely - We were able to continue our conferences and evangelistic programs right on schedule.  God used such a situation to build our faith as we cried out to Him and lived His answer.  He wants to break through in extreme situations.  He will do the same for you as He did for us on this voyage.  I recommend that you read and pray through some of the heartfelt prayers of David.  Psalms 16, 25, 31, 51, and 63 are excellent Psalms that you can pray out loud for yourself and others.

You may be passing through dangerous or difficult waters.  God hears your cry.  He wants to take you deeper in passionate, fervent prayer.  And remember when He answers your prayers, give thanks to Him for His unfailing love and His wonderful deeds on your behalf.  Crying out to God for help is a wonderful way to live.  We not only should do it during times of trouble but as we pray for revival in our city and nation.  God loves it when we pray with fervency and passion.

“Then they cried out to the Lord in their trouble, and he brought them out of their distress.  He stilled the storm to a whisper; the waves of the sea were hushed.  They were glad when it grew calm, and he guided them to their desired haven.  Let them give thanks to the Lord for his unfailing love and his wonderful deeds for men” (Psalm 107:28-31).

This is from one of the books that I am getting published called Deeper Still: Secrets to a Deeper Prayer Life. 

  

Debbie Przybylski

Intercessors Arise

http://www.intercessorsarise.org

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