CRY TO YOUR DADDY

by Tammy Phillips
January 20, 2021

LORD, I cry out to You; Make haste to me! Give ear to my voice when I cry out to You. Let my prayer be set before You [as] incense, The lifting up of my hands [as] the evening sacrifice. (Psalm 141:1-2 NKJV)

 When we were younger and experienced pain in body or mind, the very first thing we would do is shriek out loudly for our Dad or Mom.  “I have a boo-boo. Fix it! or He will not play with me.  She will not share her toy.”  We wanted no part in suffering and expected our parent to fix it immediately.  What changed?  As adults we are supposed to be “strong and courageous” in the face of affliction.   This preceding statement is true.  We should face our enemy and not be afraid of the pain.  However, in the presence of God, “we did not receive the spirit of bondage again to fear, but we received the Spirit of adoption by whom we cry out, “Abba, Father.” (Romans 8:15 NKJV)

Cry in our focus verse is the Hebrew word, qara’. It means to call out; be summoned; to address by name.  It presents the idea of encountering a person with the idea of accosting them.  David’s cry to God was of necessity and faith.  I love his boldness when he says: “Make haste unto me!” Haste is the Hebrew word, chuwsh, which means hurry, come quickly.  David prayed to God: “I need you and I need you now! Hurry!”   Oh my, the boldness. He knew that he could come to God.   He knew God could take whatever he had to say.  He needed God at that moment and was not afraid to tell Him.  If that wasn’t enough, David also said: “Give ear to my voice!” He was implying, “Hey God! It’s me. You there? Listen to me!”

God wants us to come to Him like David, just like a little child: “Hey Dad! Lord God, who always were, you are, and you will always be!  I am talking to you. Hurry! Come to me, Dad.  Listen to me when I call you!”  Doesn’t that sound like a little kid urgently calling his Dad and pulling at his Father’s pant leg?  What a comfort to know that we can so boldly come to God. 

In verse 2, Davis’s prayer was that his words be like the sacrifice of incense and uplifting of hands. He wanted his prayer to be sweet smelling, pleasant and accepted by the Lord.  In Revelation 5:8, we learn that in heaven there are golden vials full of incense, which are the prayers of saints.  Like God, we treasure communication from our children, whether it be letters, cards, phone calls or gifts.  God considers our prayers so valuable that he keeps them in golden vials in heaven. Wow! Just, Wow!

I enCOURAGE you to call out to God.  Tell Him about your pain and exactly what you need.  He understands your urgency.  You are His child, and He desires to hear from you. He desires your presence.  “Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need.” (Hebrew 4:16)