Psalm 31:22c (ESV) – But you heard the voice of my pleas for mercy when I cried to you for help. 

Have you ever seen a child get scared or get hurt and immediately cry out for a parent? Their instinct is to call for mom or dad to help them. And parents have an especially tuned ear to discern their child’s cry. It is fascinating. In a room filled with adults and kids, if a child cries out “mom” or “dad,” or begins to cry, those parents can pick out that cry from all the other noises. 

Our passage today reminds us that God does this with us. We read the psalmist say in Psalm 31:22c, “But you heard the voice of my pleas for mercy when I cried to you for help.” 

The psalmist is in a troublesome situation. He is in distress and alarmed. He says to himself, “I’m cut off from God’s sight!” In other words, “He can’t see me.” His fear is that God cannot see his plight and hear his cries. But then we read, “But you heard the voice of my pleas for mercy when I cried to you for help.” One translation says, “you heard the sound of my pleadings” and another says, “you heard the voice of my supplications.” The psalmist prays and cries out to God, and He hears him. What a relief to the burdened heart to know that God hears your prayers when you cry to Him. 

But is it enough that God hears us? The key to understanding what the psalmist is saying is realizing that he isn’t saying God simply hears him, but that God’s hearing leads to God’s acting. The implication is God heard and provided for him. It is not enough that God hears us. The comfort comes in knowing that He loves us and answers us in our cries.

What are you dealing with today? Are you carrying burdens about which you need to call out to the Lord? Maybe it is a health issue or a relationship problem. It could be anxiety or depression. Maybe you are stressed about a job, finances, or a wayward child. There could be crippling regrets or guilt over mistakes plaguing your soul.

Cry out to God. He hears us when we cry. He answers our prayers because He hears us. Cry out. You are heard.

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Reflection & Journal:
- Why does the psalmist believe he is cut off from God’s sight? What can make us feel that way?
- What is a supplication? Why does this text describe the psalmist’s prayer as a “cry”?
- How does this passage encourage you to call upon the Lord with confidence?

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