"Crying About or Crying To?"

"I cried with my whole heart; hear me, O Lord: I will keep thy statutes. I prevented the dawning of the morning, and cried: I hoped in thy word." Psalm 119:145,147

When we think of "crying", we think of weeping because of some grief, or pain, or mishap. In the verses above the Psalmist is going through a devastating time-- he is being pursued by his enemies and in need of help. But he is not just lamenting his situation, his cry here is one of faith and hope. He is crying out to the Lord because he knows that he will find the help that he needs to make it through this trial.

When we face life's trials, we can either "cry about" or "cry to". The Israelites were always crying "about" their situation in the wilderness. They were crying/complaining about having nothing but manna. They were always crying/grumbling about being in the middle of nowhere. They were always crying/murmuring about God not doing what they wanted. They were always crying out of hopelessness- this is all there is, it will never be better, God has abandoned us, He doesn't care about us, etc.

On the other hand, when the Psalmist was facing life's trials, he did not spend his time crying "about"- whining/complaining/murmuring/bemoaning/lamenting- what he was going through, he spent it crying out "to" the Lord to save him through His word/promises. He knew that if he "cried to" the Lord for help the Lord would hear him. He knew that if he cried out to the Lord for strength, grace and help to make it through he would find it. His cry was a cry of hope in the faithfulness of the One who was able to save him, who could do exceeding abundantly above all that he could ask, who would make a way where there seemed to be none and who was able to make all things work together for his ultimate good. It was not a cry of despair but a cry of hope.

We all go through difficult times- times that make us "cry out". The question is,"What kind of cry are you crying?" Are you crying about the situation with murmuring and complaining and hopelessness? Or are you crying out to God in faith and confidence that He is your hope, help and refuge in the situation?

Have a great day. When we are facing a situation, we can either just cry about it, or we can cry out to God about it.

For further reading:
Psalm 30:2,8; 77:1; 88:13; 120:1; 142:5

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Coffee Break is a morning devotional written by Lorraine Ezell
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