Sometimes you just have to cry out to the Lord when you feel overwhelmed. If you have crushing needs, don’t just whisper your plea, cry out so that God will part the heavens and send assistance.
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SHAUNA: Hi, I’m Shauna on Joni Eareckson Tada Sharing Hope. And here’s a story I know you’ll identify with.
JONI: Billy Burnett is my co-worker at Joni and Friends and Billy’s been serving with us for over 18 years. He struggles with a lot of back pain, and sometimes, when one thing piles on after the next, it can feel overwhelming. Now Billy leases his car, and the other day when he was driving to lunch, his car issued a warning light and began dinging, it said that the hood of his car was open. He got out, tried to shut the hood, but the warning light and the dinging noise wouldn’t go away. It being a newly leased car, Billy couldn’t figure what he was doing wrong. Why wasn’t the hood closing? Well, he didn’t want to drive back to Joni and Friends on the freeway, for fear that the hood might fly open, so he pulled into a gas station to ask for help, but nobody quite knew what to do, and Billy was starting to feel really frustrated. He tried to call the GM dealership, but all their lines were busy. He tried their emergency help center, but only got the voice mail.
Well friend, when one thing piles on another like that, won’t you agree it makes any pain you’re already experiencing feel a whole lot worse? The smallest of irritations can suddenly loom so large, robbing your peace of mind and your peace of heart. All sorts of discouraging thoughts began to take over Billy’s thinking: His back pain, a headache starting, the latest health challenges that his wife Shirley was struggling with. Individually, Billy could handle any one of those problems on their own but piled on top of each other discouragement began to take over. Finally, Billy got back in his car, leaned against the steering wheel, and cried out to the Lord, “Lord, I don’t know what to do, and I really need your help!”
In less than a minute, a man in a white car pulled into the gas station right next to Billy. It was the exact same year and model as Billy’s car. Out of nowhere, the driver, this tall guy with blonde hair, got out, came over to Billy’s window and said, “Friend, you look like you need some help!” To which Billy replied, “Brother, I sure do. I can’t find the hood release on my car.” That’s when the man said, “Hey, no problem I know right where it is; I found it last night.” Billy opened his car door; the man leaned in, reached way under the dash and pulled a small lever. Immediately the hood opened; the man walked around to the front of the vehicle and shut the hood firmly. He dusted off his hands and said to Billy, with a cheery smile, “Is that all you need?” Oh, my goodness, Billy smiled and offered his thanks, and said, “No, everything is okay.” And with that, the guy got back in his car and drove off as though he was sent on a mission only to help Billy, and nothing more.
What can I say, but isn’t it amazing how a helpful deed in the nick of time can really brighten your spirits? And it all starts with a cry to God for help. Psalm 57 says, “I cry out to God Most High, to God, who fulfills [his purpose] for me. He sends from heaven and saves me.” Isn’t that great? The Bible is filled with encouragements for us to not just speak softly, but sometimes we just have to cry out to the Lord, to God our Most High, when we feel overwhelmed. So today, if you have a crushing need, lean against the steering wheel, lean against the kitchen sink, lean against your desk – whatever – and cry out to God. And don’t just whisper your plea for help, make it a real plea, and God will part the heaven and send you assistance.
SHAUNA: And by the way, if you have a story like Billy’s, we want to hear it, so go to joniradio.org and share it with us as a praise report. We can’t wait to join you in praising God for his answers to our cries for help.
© Joni and Friends