Cry Out
In the book of 2 Kings, we find two unique stories of two different women but both in seemingly helpless situations. In the first, we can feel the gut-wrenching pain within the cry of a widowed woman now facing the reality of an unpayable debt and haunted by the near arrival of a creditor coming to take her two sons away. In the second, we can taste theharsh bitterness within the words ringing from the lips of a Shunammite womanhaving recently cradled to her chest the lifeless body of her only child.
Marked by deep sorrow. Carrying shatteredhearts. Living in the trenches of motherhood. Both of these women cried outfor the sake of their sons.
Now, although the widow and the Shunammite woman found themselves in circumstances drenched with desperation they did not find themselves without hope. “How so?” you may wonder. Well, you see, both of these women knew a man whom they had seen do the miraculous- a man who could, in a divine way, intervene on their behalf and a man they could turn towards and cry out to.
Similarly to these women but in our own ways, many of us have at some point in this journey called “life” walked through dark valleys and trod on unsettled waters. And some of us have become quite familiar with the feeling of disappointment and have begun growing accustomed to the ruthless blows of the evil one. But may we not forget that, yes, the powers of darkness are still at work on this earth, but, there is still reason for hope- the kind of hope that stirs us, the kind of hope that compels us to action, for like the widow and like the Shunammite woman, we too know a Man. But not just any man. A Man who always has been and always will be. The Son of God, the Lion of Judah, the Great I Am. Jesus.
He is the One who left His throne in Heaven and came to earth as one of us, took the position of a slave, and died a criminal’s death on the cross in our place because He saw not only the people who lived on the earth thousands of years ago but also because He saw each and every one of us living on the earth today. He saw the pain that we would endure, he saw the heartache we wouldface, He saw the sickness that we would undergo, and He was moved by what Hesaw. He was moved to move mountains for us, He was moved to tear down walls forus, and He was moved to roll away stones for us. But what made Him move on our behalf? His compassion. In the words of Moses, David, and Jonah, “You, God, are a gracious and compassionate God, slow to anger and abounding in love, a God who relents from sending calamity.” And this compassion He had back then, He still has today. So, just as Elisha asked the widow and inquired of the Shunammite woman, Jesus still beckons the same question, “How can I help you?” Therefore, let us cry out to Him.
A few generations prior, we find a woman by the name of Hannah also crying out. With tears streaming down her face, Hannah excuses herself from the table- the table that was supposed to be a place of worship and celebration but that instead turned into another reminder of her inability to conceive and give birth to her own child as her heart so longed to do. Year after year, she returned to the same place and found herself undergoing the same routine: worship, sit, eat, weep, return home. This time, she had enough. Enough of the provoking. Enough embracing the ways things were. Enough keeping it all together and holding it all inside.
This time, she stood up. This time, she cried out to Lord, weeping bitterly, and pouring forth her anguish found deep within. And because of Hannah’s outcry, Samuel was born. A priest and a prophet had come forth. And the next generation now had hope, for they would be led and influenced by the life and ministry of a young man who did only according to what was in God’s heart and on God’s mind. All because Hannah cried out.
And the same God who moved at the sound ofHannah’s cry, the widow’s cry, and the Shunammite woman’s cry- He is still moved by the sound of your cry. My cry. And cries of His daughters ringing out across the globe and from every corner of the earth.
Psalm 55:16-17 says, “As for me, I call to God and the Lord saves me. Evening, morning and noon I cry out in distress, and He hears my voice.”
As women, we carry not only the privilege of bringing forth new life (in more ways than physical child birth, mind you), but we also carry the responsibility of fighting for it.
If the widow’s cry delivered her children from the hands of a slave owner, if the Shunammite’s cry set her son free from the grips of death itself, and if Hannah’s cry brought forth the life of a God-fearing leader, what could happen as a result of our cry?
For the sake of a generation that is coming over the horizon, let us cry out. For the sake of a generation caught in the throes of the evil one, let us cry out. And for the sake of a generation that is living in a spiritual war zone, let us cry out. No more shying away or backing down. No more settling for the way things are. It is time to arise, to stand up, and to cry out to One who was and is and is to come. Cry out to theGod who still delivers. Cry out to the God who still heals. And cry out to theGod who is still more than able.
Isaiah 58:1 says “Shout it aloud, do not holdback. Raise your voice like a trumpet.”
Madeline Nix MA is the Director of the Awakening