July 31

Then they cried out to the LORD in their trouble, and He delivered them from their distress. — Ps 107:6 BSB

What a mercy it is to know there is a God to go to—a God who hears and answers prayer! And what a blessing it is to be able to pour out our burdened hearts before him! Notice the words, “Then they cried unto the Lord in their trouble.” If you have trouble, it is enough reason to go to God with it. Do not worry about whether you are elect or non-elect—God does not ask that question, and neither should you. The answer will reveal itself in time. God says, “Call upon me in the day of trouble; I will deliver you, and you shall glorify me.” If you are experiencing trouble, you have all the warrant you need to call upon God. So do not write bitter things against yourself. If you can sigh and cry out to the Lord, there is life in your soul. God has quickened you by his Spirit if he has placed a sigh and a cry in your heart. Remember the men in Ezekiel who received God’s approving seal: they were those who sighed and cried out for the abominations they saw and felt in themselves and in others (Ezekiel 9:4). If the Lord has placed a sigh and a cry in your heart because of your inward struggles and sins, then you are one of those on whom he has set his seal.

Sanctified troubles are among our greatest blessings. One of their fruits is that they keep us from growing complacent, from settling down in spiritual ease. Careless, worldly, proud, and covetous people—those who are spiritually dead—never cry out to God. They may have formal prayers—morning prayers, evening prayers, family prayers—but they are cold and lifeless, like ice. Their hearts are frozen in carnality, and they bring that coldness with them wherever they go. But God does not allow his people to remain in this cold, lifeless state. He sends afflictions, trials, and troubles upon them. He takes them into the wilderness and exercises them well in the path of tribulation. And while supporting them under this weight, he raises up a cry in their hearts that he is sure to hear.