Day 37: The Cry That Goes In
Read: Psalm 18:4–6
In my distress I called upon the LORD; to my God I cried for help. From his temple he heard my voice, and my cry to him reached his ears.
— Psalm 18:6 (ESV)
Reflect
The cry in this verse is not a polite request. The word is shav'ah, "cry for help." It is the shout of someone with no other option left.
David has just described what it felt like: the cords of death around him, floods of destruction rushing over him, the snares of the grave in front of him (vv. 4–5). This is not a man composing a careful prayer. This is a man yelling for help.
Now look at what happens to that cry. It does not stay outside. "My cry to him reached his ears." In the Hebrew the cry itself is the one doing the moving. It comes in — all the way to God in his heavenly temple, into his very ears.
That matters. The verse does not give the action to David's calm, or his correct words, or his steady faith. It gives the action to the cry. The cry is what travels.
You do not have to get yourself together before you pray. God does not wait for polished prayers.
Across Scripture
When Israel groaned under slavery in Egypt, "their cry for rescue from slavery came up to God" — and God answered, "I have surely seen the affliction of my people… and have heard their cry" (Exodus 2:23; 3:7). "The eyes of the LORD are toward the righteous and his ears toward their cry" (Psalm 34:15). Even Jesus, in the days of his flesh, "offered up prayers and supplications, with loud cries and tears," and "he was heard because of his reverence" (Hebrews 5:7).
Sit With It
Some of your prayers are more shout than sentence. Let them be. The movement in this verse belongs to the cry, not to your composure.
Pray
Hear my cry.
Scripture quotations are from the ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®), © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.