The Inner Cry to the Lord

Of all 150 psalms, Psalm 34 is my absolute favorite. It is all about our Lord’s faithfulness to deliver his children from great trials and crises. In it, King David declares, “I sought the Lord, and He heard me, and delivered me from all my fears. …The angel of the Lord encamps all around those who fear him, and delivers them. …The righteous cry out, and the Lord hears, and delivers them out of all their troubles. …Many are the afflictions of the righteous, but the Lord delivers him out of them all” (Psalm 34:4, 7,17,19).

When did David do this crying out? It probably happened when he was feigning madness in Gath and couldn’t pray audibly in the Philistines’ presence. This brings us to a great truth regarding God’s deliverance. Sometimes the loudest cry is made without an audible voice.

I know what this kind of inner ‘crying out’ is like. Many of my most important, heart-wrenching, deepest cries have been made in total silence.

At times, I’ve been so numbed by circumstances that I couldn’t speak, overwhelmed by situations so beyond me that I couldn’t think clearly enough to pray. On occasion, I’ve sat alone in my study baffled that I was unable to say anything to the Lord at all. The whole time, though, my heart was crying out, “God, help me! I don’t know how to pray just now, so hear the cry of my heart. Deliver me from this situation.”

Have you ever been there? Have you ever thought, “I don’t know what this is all about. I’m so overwhelmed by my circumstance and flooded by deep pain that I can’t explain it. Lord, I don’t even know what to say to you. What is going on?”

I believe this is exactly what David went through when he was living among the Philistines. When he wrote Psalm 34, he was admitting, “I was in a situation so overwhelming that I played the part of a fool. Inside I wondered, ‘What is going on with me? How has this happened? Lord, help!’” It seems like David was saying, “This poor man cried out from within, not knowing what or how to pray. The Lord heard me and delivered me.” It was a deep cry from the heart, and the Lord is faithful to hear every whimper, no matter how faint.