What SHe SAid - Part 12

Rosann Coulon, Guest Writer

Today’s Treasure

This poor man cried, and the LORD heard him, and saved him out of all his troubles.

Psalm 34:6 KJV

Looking into the mirror, the dark under-eye circles were evident on my thinning face. I hardly recognized the gaunt person staring back at me as I questioned how much weight I had lost. The totality of the loss was sinking in.

I trembled down the hall and collapsed onto the bed with a heaviness too intense to bear. It seemed I had traded physical weight for an emotional burden of incomprehensible magnitude.

In a short time, a diagnosis of Fibromyalgia and Chronic Fatigue Syndrome had cost me my career, rental home, church family, and now my engagement. In the morning I would begin the four-hour journey back to my parents' home for the unforeseeable future.

In one fell swoop, my dreams had shattered, hope vanished, and joy plummeted. How do you find joy in so much loss? And, how do you lie down and sleep when the future holds so much uncertainty?

I went to the only place I knew to go. I went to God's Word seeking comfort and reassurance. In anguish and tears, I whispered, "God, I need you," as I opened up the Psalms. I sensed God enter the room as I rested upon Psalm 34.

David penned this chapter after he had been forced to flee home, relationships, and dreams because King Saul had placed a bounty on his head. He, too, was alone staring at an uncertain future.

David in his time of need called on the Lord.

In this one chapter, we are told two times that God heard David (vs. 4 & 6), that “his ears are open to our cries” (vs. 15), and that the Lord hears and delivers the righteous out of all of their troubles (vs. 17).

Suddenly, I had an epiphany. This "poor man" was no longer David, it was me. I was crying to God from the lowest point in my life and God was hearing me. Not only was He hearing me, He was promising that He would deliver me from "all" of my troubles.

God doesn't go halfway, or almost all of the way––He goes all of the way. He takes us through––and out––of all of our troubles. He's not only the God who hears, but He is the God who delivers.

Deliverance is often ushered in by surrender. Surrendering to the truth that God alone is sufficient to meet our needs frees us from the drudgery of seeking what cannot be found in this world.

The things of earth that we place our hopes and dreams on only leave us unfulfilled, empty, and longing for more. But, God never does:

In His presence is fullness of joy and at His right hand are pleasures forevermore

Psalm 16:11

Did this encounter immediately end my suffering? No. My health continued to decline in that season, and my engagement was not restored. In the loss of those dreams, God gave me new dreams. He moved me back home to provide me with the husband that He had chosen for me.

He met me to assure me that He was delivering me, just not in the way that my physical eyes could see. He allowed my heart to break so that He could mend it with a life far greater than I could imagine.

LIFE-GIVING ENCOURAGEMENT

Maybe your heartbreak doesn't look exactly like the heartbreak I endured. Perhaps you are just in a season where you need assurance that God hears you. I encourage you to cry out to Him. He is the God who hears. He is the God who delivers. He is the God who saves.

PRAYER

Dear Father, thank You for hearing the cries of my heart and for Your promise of deliverance. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.

Sharon W. Betters is a mother, grandmother, great-grandmother, pastor’s wife, and cofounder of MARKINC Ministries, where she is the Director of Resource Development. Sharon is the author of several books, including Treasures of Encouragement, Treasures in Darkness, and co-author with Susan Hunt of Aging with Grace. She is the co-host of the Help & Hope podcast and writes Daily Treasure, an online devotional.

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Contact Sharon with comments or questions at d ailytreasure@markinc.org.

God Hears Your Cries