Crying Out to God
Bible Readings
Take a few minutes to read the Bible verses listed and ask the Holy Spirit to lead you in how this verse applies to you this week.
1 2 How much longer, , will you forget about me? Will it be forever? How long will you hide? 3 How long must I be confused and miserable all day? How long will my enemies keep beating me down? 4 Please listen, God, and answer my prayers. Make my eyes sparkle again, or else I will fall into the sleep of death. 5 My enemies will say, “Now we've won!” They will be greatly pleased when I am defeated. 6 I trust your love, and I feel like celebrating because you rescued me. You have been good to me, , and I will sing about you.
Psalm 13
Memory Verse
1 Peter 5:7
7 God cares for you, so turn all your worries over to him.
Have you ever felt so sad that all you could do was cry? Maybe your best friend moved away. Maybe a classmate or a family member was terribly sick. You feel like no one cares. When you hear about horrible events, like a school shooting, happening in the world, you cry out to God "How long?" to show your sorrow. This kind of hurt is called lament.
In the Psalms, David and other authors wrote songs of lament to express the painful emotions they felt. David begins Psalm 13 full of deep sorrow. He felt that God had forgotten him. He was being attacked by his enemies and wanted God to do something right away. Overwhelmed and feeling helpless, David cried out and wondered if God would hear him and answer him. He did not give up hope and kept praying.
David’s psalm shows us how to be honest and trust God with what we are feeling. When we cry out to God in despair, we may feel helpless and alone. And we have to keep praying! Know that God cares for you, so turn all your worries over to him (1 Peter 5:7). God knows about your personal struggles. He knows the bad things in the world are more than we can handle. He invites us to turn to him just like David did with honesty and trust. He will hear our laments.
Prayer
Dear God, thank you for hearing me when I pray. I am thankful that I can tell you about my worries. Please help me to remember when bad things happen around me, that you care and nothing is too hard for you. Amen.Related Resources
Natasha Menifee
Natasha Menifee is an educator, writer and most importantly a child of God. She has taught in public schools for 12 years and holds two master's degrees from Georgetown College in Learning & Behavior Disorders and Teacher Leadership. Natasha also serves as the Christian Education Director at her church. She is the proud mother of two daughters. For more information about her, visit www.natashamenifee.com.