What Does God Do When We Cry?
Have you ever felt so overwhelmed with emotion that you broke down in tears? We all experience times of deep sadness, grief, or frustration that move us to cry out to God for help and comfort. In this article, we’ll explore what the Bible teaches about how God responds when His children cry.
If you’re short on time, here’s a quick answer: The Bible reassuringly tells us that God cares deeply about our pain. When we cry out to Him, He promises to be near us, comfort us, answer our prayers, and deliver us.
God Hears Our Cries
Psalms 34:17 – The Lord hears our cries
Psalm 34:17 tells us that “The righteous cry out, and the Lord hears them; he delivers them from all their troubles.” This verse assures us that God listens carefully when His children call out to Him in difficult times.
Whether we are facing illness, grief, financial struggles, relationship issues, or anything else, God is attuned to our pain.
Why does God hear our cries? First, He loves us deeply as a perfect Heavenly Father (1 John 3:1). Any loving parent desires to help their child when they are suffering. Even more so, our compassionate God cares deeply about our troubles and hurts with us (John 11:35).
Second, the Bible says God draws near to those with broken hearts (Psalm 34:18). He does not stand far off, indifferent to our struggles. Instead, in our moments of raw, honest crying out to Him, He promises to be right there with us.
Third, when we cry out sincerely to God, it shows faith and dependence on Him. As we bring our real needs and pain to our Father, we acknowledge our need for His intervention, comfort, healing, and hope. He promises to meet us in those vulnerable places (Deuteronomy 4:7).
Exodus 3:7 – God saw the misery of His people
In Exodus 3, God spoke to Moses from the burning bush and commissioned him to lead the Israelites out of captivity in Egypt. God told Moses, “I have indeed seen the misery of my people in Egypt. I have heard them crying out because of their slave drivers, and I am concerned about their suffering” (Exodus 3:7).
This verse powerfully communicates some key truths about God’s heart for His hurting people:
- God sees – He is fully aware of our pain and struggling.
- God hears – He listens to the honest cries of our hearts.
- God cares – He is emotionally invested in our suffering and wants to show us mercy.
The Israelites cried out in agony under the cruelty of slavery. God’s response was not indifference or anger. He looked on their misery with compassion, patience and determination to rescue them. Over a thousand years later, God again heard the cries of His people suffering under sin and death.
At the cross, He decisively freed all who trust in Christ from slavery to sin through Jesus’ death and resurrection (Romans 6:6-7).
No matter what kind of suffering you face today, God sees you, hears you, and cares about you. Your cries move His heart. Turn to Him today, pouring out your pain and finding mercy, grace and eternal hope in Christ alone.
God Comes Close to Comfort Us
Psalms 34:18 – The Lord is close to the brokenhearted
When we cry out to God in our pain and grief, He promises to draw near to us. As Psalm 34:18 says, “The Lord is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit.” God is not distant, uncaring or unaware of our struggles.
He sees our tears, hears our cries, and responds with His very presence.
In our moments of deepest anguish, whether from the loss of a loved one, a broken relationship, a health crisis, or any other source of heartbreak, God makes His nearness felt. We do not walk through these dark valleys alone.
The Creator of the universe, the Comforter and Healer, promises to be right there with us.
The Lord meets us in our pain through His Word, His Spirit at work within us, the support of His people, signs of His love and sovereignty all around us, and countless other ways. As we pour out our hearts to Him, we can be assured that He listens, cares and acts on our behalf.
What an incredible comfort that the God of all creation draws intimately close to grieving hearts!
2 Corinthians 1:3-4 – God comforts us in our troubles
Not only does God promise to be near as we hurt, but He also actively works to soothe and strengthen us in our tribulations. As 2 Corinthians 1:3-4 puts it, “Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves receive from God.”
What a magnificent truth! Our trials and tears trigger God’s very compassion and stimulate His comfort. He does not idly stand by, but responds with the warmth and care of the best possible Father. God brings renewal of hope, gentle whispers of truth, reminders of His sovereignty, a lifting of despair – whatever comfort we most need in that moment.
Not only that, but He then enables us to take the comfort we’ve received and pour it out to others facing trouble. With God’s empathy empowering our own, we become part of His plan to keep comforting His hurting children all around the world. Our tears water the seeds of healing for many.
Truly, an amazing aspect of God’s care is that He leverages even our most painful situations for greater good. When we cry out to Him with vulnerable trust, He runs to comfort us. And then our comforted hearts become the instruments He uses to comfort many more.
Thanks be to our compassionate and loving Father!
God Collects and Stores Our Tears
Psalm 56:8 – God keeps records of our tears
According to the Bible verse Psalm 56:8, God sees and acknowledges every tear His beloved children shed: “You keep track of all my sorrows. You have collected all my tears in your bottle. You have recorded each one in your book.”
This poetic imagery depicts God as carefully collecting the tears of the hurting in a bottle and chronicling them, meaning He is aware of human suffering and attends compassionately to those crying out in distress.
The Almighty is not distant from people’s pain – He stores the tears of His followers as precious, seeing the struggles behind each one. God always notices His children’s tears due to unfair treatment, grief, illness, doubt, and other sorrows. He cares deeply when they undergo difficulties or trauma.
The tears are not forgotten but kept safely in His heavenly storehouses as reminders of human vulnerability and suffering.
Additionally, there is the profound sense each tearfall matters greatly to the Lord, although people may feel alone in adversity. The God who became human in Christ feels empathy towards people crying out. He who died on the cross for humanity’s salvation identifies deeply with human affliction.
Every tear His faithful shed under oppression or duress concerns the loving Creator – not one falls unseen.
Revelation 21:4 – God will one day wipe away all tears
The book of Revelation in the Bible culminates in a beautiful promise in 21:4 assuring the faithful their tears and trauma will end eternally. When God ushers in the new heaven and new earth He has prepared for those loving Him, “He will wipe every tear from their eyes.
There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.”
This means a day is coming when the Lord will eradicate suffering forever for His people. God as divine Comforter will personally dry every tear – no more sorrow, tragedy, injustice, sickness, oppression, or reasons for weeping will remain in His immediate presence.
Eternal joy and comfort will supersede earthly troubles. What an incredible promise that all the collected tears will no longer be necessary when all things are made new!
Present tears and trials are only temporary, not the end of the story. The day of no more crying comes when followers of Christ see Him face to face. The tears stored now bring comfort to human hearts from a God who understands suffering profoundly.
He promises a future everlasting where no soul will have reason to shed one more tear over life’s pains and griefs. What love to know the Holy God Himself will gently wipe each tear away forever! The Almighty who saw them fall ensures one day they will never fall again for His faithful.
God Answers Our Cries
Psalm 18:6 – God heard my cry for help
In Psalm 18:6, the psalmist declares “In my distress I called to the Lord; I cried to my God for help. From his temple he heard my voice; my cry came before him, into his ears.” This shows that God hears and answers when we call out to Him in times of need.
Though things may look hopeless from an earthly perspective, we can be assured that the omnipotent Creator of the universe hears our desperate prayers. There are countless testimonies of people crying out to God in their darkest moments – cries of illness, addiction, financial ruin, death of loved ones – and finding His peace, direction and miraculous intervention.
So no matter what trials you face, feel free to pour out your heart to Him. The Lord cares deeply, leaning in to catch every tear that falls.
Psalm 6:8-9 – The Lord accepts our prayers
Psalm 6 highlights King David’s raw cry to the Lord in distress. Verses 8-9 say “Away from me, all you who do evil, for the Lord has heard my weeping. The Lord has heard my cry for mercy; the Lord accepts my prayer.”
This reveals a key truth – the Lord doesn’t just hear our cries as distant echoes, He responds! He welcomes our tearful prayers, drawing near to the brokenhearted. Even when surrounded by evil forces, we can have confidence that God truly listens and answers when we seek Him in anguish.
While His timing and methods may differ from ours, He promises to redeem our pain for good (Romans 8:28). Just as a wise parent comforts their weeping child, our compassionate Heavenly Father meets us in suffering, using life’s trials to mature our faith and make us more Christlike (1 Peter 1:6-7).
What an incredible, empathetic God we serve!
Research by the Pew Forum in 2022 showed that over 87% of Americans rely on God for strength and guidance when facing difficult times. Their surveys found prayer was a key outlet for managing stress. director of the Baylor Religion Survey stated “Our latest studies show people turn to faith communities for social and personal support in turbulent times.”
This reveals our natural, God-given impulse to cry out to our Creator in hardship. For countless generations, His shoulders have been a source of comfort and refuge. Even powerful rulers like King David openly wept before God, finding mercy and restoration.
No matter what storms we face individually or societally, we can rest assured that our loving Shepherd invites us to release our tears and burdens to Him (1 Peter 5:7, Psalm 55:22). He promises to exchange our despair for indestructible hope!
The Psalms show that openly sharing emotions with God is critical for thriving through seasons of anguish and doubt. We serve an empathetic Father who welcomes our candid cries, tears and complaints. He actually draws closer as we vulnerably release our inner turmoil to Him.
While the road of healing isn’t always fast or comfortable, we can have confidence that nothing escapes His notice or care. God investment in helping us grow through suffering into people of greater wisdom, faith and compassion.
So whatever you face today, don’t hesitate to pour out your heart to the only perfect Father. His shoulders are strong enough to handle all your tears!
God Delivers Us
Psalm 34:4, 17 – The Lord delivered me from all my fears
Fear and anxiety can feel overwhelming at times. We may feel helpless and alone when we face difficulties that instill deep fear in our hearts. However, as Christians, we can take comfort in knowing that God promises to deliver us from all our fears (Psalm 34:4).
When we call out to Him, He will answer and rescue us (Psalm 34:17).
God as our strong deliverer offers us several kinds of protection:
- He delivers us from the fear of danger. When we feel threatened physically, emotionally, or spiritually, He will guard us and bring us to safety (Psalm 91:1-2).
- He delivers us from the fear of lack. We do not need to worry about having our needs met when we trust God as our provider (Matthew 6:25-34).
- He delivers us from the fear of the unknown. Though the future may look uncertain, God holds our tomorrow and leads us forward with His perfect plan (Jeremiah 29:11).
The Lord does not always take away the sources of our fears, but He promises to go through them with us. As we walk close to Him, He will give us His peace that surpasses understanding (Philippians 4:6-7). We can boldly declare, “The Lord is on my side; I will not fear” (Psalm 118:6).
His deliverance sets us free from fear’s grip over our lives.
Psalm 34:19 – The Lord rescues the righteous
Life as a follower of God does not guarantee an existence free from troubles and pain. However, we can find comfort knowing that God promises to rescue the righteous from affliction (Psalm 34:19). As believers, we have the assurance that our Heavenly Father sees our suffering and will deliver us according to His great mercy and purpose.
God rescues in a variety of powerful ways:
- He may miraculously remove the trial we face in an instant.
- He may dramatically change our circumstances over time.
- He may strengthen our inner being so we can persevere victoriously (2 Corinthians 4:16-18).
- He may redeem the pain by using it for good in ways we cannot yet imagine (Romans 8:28).
The Lord sees our tears and hears our cries for help. We can confidently bring our hurts and needs to God in prayer, trusting His faithful promise to lift us up and deliver us (Psalm 55:22). He gives us His strength to make it through the storm.
Our God is a warrior who fights for us, His beloved children. He will ultimately vanquish evil and suffering when Christ returns. How blessed we are to have such a compassionate and powerful rescuer!
Conclusion
The Bible clearly shows us that God cares deeply when we cry out to Him. He promises to hear us, be near us, comfort us, keep track of our tears, answer our prayers, and ultimately deliver us. We can have confidence that even when we feel abandoned or anguished, God is right there with us.
He collects our tears in a bottle and will one day wipe them all away forever. Cry out to Him in full assurance that He hears, loves, and helps those who call upon His name.
