The voice of
the Lord twists the oaks and
strips the forests bare. And in his
temple all cry, “Glory!”
— Psalm 29:9 (NIV)
Praise! Not all the cries
in the Psalms are of lament. Some are
those we’d bellow as if we’d already arrived in God’s eternal house. Power, glory, and blessing are His, our
eternal, Sovereign God. None is due this
accord but Him.
The righteous cry out, and the Lord hears them; he delivers them from
all their troubles.
— Psalm 34:17
(NIV)
Delivery! The righteous
He delivers. Not when the righteous
want, nor in the circumstances they can even predict. Only a Sovereign God could deliver as and
when and how He wishes to deliver.
“Hear my
prayer, Lord, listen to my cry for help;
do not be deaf to my weeping. I dwell
with you as a foreigner, a stranger, as all my ancestors were.
— Psalm 39:12
(NIV)
Silence! How else is a
faith to be tested? If we give up when
God is silent, how little do we believe He is Sovereign. And yet, there are times when we feel
vanquished. We do give up, for a
time. Thank God He is the God of the
second, and 490th chance.
For he will
deliver the needy who cry out, the afflicted who have no one to help.
— Psalm 72:12
(NIV)
Promise keeper! Many
verses in the Psalms attest to the truth that God hears the cries of His
afflicted. We must have faith when He
seems silent. Only a Sovereign God can
keep His promises. If we don’t give up,
He will keep His promises. God is the
only real help we have, yet He’s all we need.
Listen to my cry, for I am in desperate need; rescue me
from those who pursue me, for they are too strong for me.
— Psalm 142:6
(NIV)
Help! Some people and
situations overtake us, overwhelm us, and overcome us. It was always designed to be this way. Somehow God must convince us that we’re not
sovereign. Our faith is ever contingent
on falsity until we realise this. Only
God is Sovereign. We’re not in control.
***
There are many different cries that ring out of the Psalms in
God’s holy Word. As many cries as the
human spirit is able to feel and express.
© 2016 Steve Wickham.
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