O people of Zion, who live in Jerusalem, you will weep no more. How gracious He will be when you cry for help! As soon as He hears, He will answer you. Isaiah 30:19
My friend’s three-year-old and I were at the park, playing on the swings and slides. When it was time to leave, he didn’t want to go. This he communicated with an ear-piercing, hair-raising scream. I was surprised as he is an amazingly articulate child with nearly perfect manners.
I know that part of the scream was exhaustion and hunger. We had been playing for two hours and he was too excited to eat the lunch we had brought. While he thought he wanted to play longer, he really needed to rest. And eat. Both he repeatedly refused.
After I took him home, I reflected on the surprising jolt. How does a tiny guy communicate with big people? He had something to say, his words weren’t having the desired effect, so it was time to increase the volume. I thought about my own conversations with God: How often do my silent prayers seem to melt into empty air? Aren’t there times I feel I need to shout to get God’s attention?
My Lenten journey, full of bumps and bruises, can be a time to pick up the volume. Too often my disappointments are masked in silence. I know there is nothing God can’t hear, even feelings too full to speak (see Romans 8:26). But He also listens to my walloping wails. In Christ, who cried out to God in His suffering, I hear the passion God so richly deserves. In Christ, I cry out, knowing He hears and He answers (see Psalm 34:17).
Prayer: Hear my prayer, O Lord, and let my cry come unto You. Amen.
Response: Cry out loud to God!
(Devotions from "Cross of Ashes" by Christine Weerts, a Lenten devotional provided by Lutheran Hour Ministries. Copyright 2005, Int'l LLL. All Rights Reserved. No part of this publication may be printed, reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without prior written permission of Concordia Publishing House. Permission is granted for one-time emailing of this link to a friend.)
Today's Bible Readings: Numbers 17-19 Mark 15:1-25
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