When You Should cry out to God
by Victoria Thornton There are times when you prayed a prayer of faith and the answer comes quickly. Then there are times in everyone's life when have prayed and nothing seems to work. You try your best and practice every principle you know and still you don't seem to have a breakthrough. You wonder, “what's the problem, God what else can I do?”
You take every opportunity to get believers to pray and to agree with you until you literally lose count. Yet the same thing you are having difficulties with others receive with a simple prayer. When this happens --when nothing seems to work --except the need to cry out to God. God seems to have designed it as part of our training. Since He knows what is inside us even more than we know ourselves; He knows which areas He can draw the fullness of our heart-cry to Him in order to receive what He all along intended and wants us to have.
In the Old Testament, the Israelites cried out to God. In Exodus 1, is an example of their cries and how it reached the throne room of God.
Exodus 1:7-8 the the children of Israel were fruitful and increased abundantly, multiplied and grew exceedingly mighty: and the land was filled with them. Now there arose a new king over Egypt, who did not know Joseph. Exodus 2:23-24 Now it happened in the process of time that the king of Egypt died. Then the children of Israel groaned because of the bondage and they cried out, and their cry came up to God because of the bondage. So God heard their groaning and God remembered His covenant with Abraham, with Isaac and with Jacob.
They cried out to God and God heard them. The bible tells us that the Israelites were in Egypt for about four hundred years. At first, they had a good life but after some time, persecution arose. When persecution arose, they cried. They cried because it was not supposed to be as they were experiencing.
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Why should we cry? Why does God want His people to cry out to Him?
God has reserved some areas where we must come to the end of ourselves and cry. He wants us to come to the point where we realize we are nothing and we cannot do it without Him. And lastly, He wants us to come to the end of our pride. Only when we reach the end of all we can do, does God steps in. Just like the woman with the issue of blood, in Mark 5:25-26, she spent all her money, all her savings, and all her possessions. She literally bankrupted herself in order to get her healing. She reached the end of her rope. She had no more hope left, except the Lord Jesus.
If you examine your life, are you at the place where you have no more options but God? Or can you seek God for a while for your mate, then when He takes too long do something on your own? Have you reached a point where God is your only option? God is your only hope?
A well-known minster mentioned how he suffered all kinds of afflictions. He got the best people to pray for him and nothing happened. Until one day, he shut himself up before God and said, "God I am not coming out until I find out what's wrong." God dealt with his pride and with his self-sufficiency. When he came to the end of himself and repented, then the healing came. Although he had the affliction for years, he left that room completely healed.
Jesus Cried.
Hebrews 5:7
Who in the days of His flesh when He had offered up prayers and supplications with vehement cries and tears to Him who was able to save Him from death and was heard because of His godly fear.
Why was it necessary to cry out to God with vehemence? In Hebrews 5:7 the word vehemence in the Greek speaks about a deep heartfelt cry. Even Jesus Christ had to sow His ministry in tears.
There are times you need to learn to cry out to God because you know God alone is your only hope. You have nobody but God. Everyone in this life has to reach a point where we know that its God alone no matter how close we are with our loves ones. You must reach a point where it is only you and God and no one else. When you have reached that point, something on the inside of you will reach out to God because now you realize you have no one that you could depend on except God. It is not to say that there is no need to depend on each other. There will always be a time and place where teamwork is needed. There will always come a time when you need to call on others to work together, but God wants you to be totally dependent on Him. When this happens, you will never leave that place of prayer the same. There will be strength in your character that was never there before. Why, because now you have walked alone with God.
If you have never walked alone with God, you do not know the inner strength that can come only from Him. There is something placed in your spirit and you come out stronger like a spiritual giant. You are not the same man or woman before you entered that place. You are different.
In the book of Exodus, as the Israelites came face to face with the Red Sea. On one side were the mountains and on the other side was the sea. On the third side was the Egyptians coming after them with Pharaoh leading the whole army.
And Moses spoke to them, who had never fought any battle before, and said in Exodus 14:13-15 “Do not be afraid. Stand still, and see the salvation of the Lord, which He will accomplish for you today. For the Egyptians whom you see today, you shall see them no more forever. The Lord will fight for you and you shall hold your peace. And the Lord said to Moses, “Why do you cry out to Me?”
You see the cry is only the first step. The crying out must lead to revelation. After Moses had spoken to the Israelites, he came to God and cried and although it's not recorded how he cried. We know from God's statement that he did cry. Moses was honest that there was no way out. The Egyptians were coming from behind, the Red Sea was out in front and the mountains were on the other side. They had no way to turn. So, he turned to God and cried. Then God spoke a Word that similarly we need to hear-- a Word from Him given as a result of crying out to Him.
In Exodus 14:15, God said, “Why do you cry to Me? Tell the children of Israel to go forward. But lift up your rod, and stretch out your hand over the sea and divide it. And the children of Israel shall go on dry ground through the midst of the sea.”
The crying out to God is only the first step. So, when Moses having sought God, then moved out; he had to move in God's authority and on God's Word. There is a time to cry and there is a time to take authority. There is a time to allow ourselves to weep in God's sight to seek His face. Then there is a time to receive a revelation and wipe those tears from our eyes and let the Lion of Judah arise and march over the enemy. So, crying out to God is the first step. If it is a true cry of God, it should produce revelation and a new measure of authority. Moses moved forward and as a result of God's Word launched such a powerful miracle that at that time had never been seen before.
In conclusion, in James 5:15, states…the effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much. We all need to reach that point that we not only pray a righteous prayer. In this passage, righteousness is not a problem because Jesus is our righteousness, but the problem in most of our lives are effectiveness and fervency. Some of those things that you have been praying for have taken umpteen years and the answer has not manifested. Year-in and year-out you are longing for answers. You sing songs that He is a 'prayer answering God' but the answer doesn't seem to come. You turn to one man of God after another to pray for you and the answer still doesn't to come. God is waiting for you to get alone with Him and then get serious with Him.
You really have to come before the face of God and really cry out to God in your aloneness with Him. There is no short cut. There are some areas in your life where you need to do just that; you need to shut yourself up from your friends, and your loved ones and get alone with God. You need to pour out your heart to God until He reveals Himself.
But remember this, you are not just crying out for your answer, you are crying out for God. I don't understand why God sometimes allows this in people's lives. But one thing we possibly can understand is that He wants us to want Him with all our hearts, all our minds, soul and strength. You have to determine if you have not had any breakthroughs, then you must come to that place where you are willing to go all out for Him. You are no more just interested in the answer. You want to hear from God. You want to meet Him face to face. And He will meet with you. Men and women who truly come with all their hearts to meet Him to turn away from the distractions of life, from the distractions of loved ones and to be alone with God to hear Him; God will come down and meet with them. †
