The other day I hit my toe on a piece of furniture and it was a painful moment. I grabbed my foot, put pressure on my toe and rocked back and forth to relieve the pain. Surprisingly, it wasn't until I let out a big, long "Ow" that I experienced relief. I thought to myself, "Hmm!" Just the act of crying out loud brought more relief than everything else that I had tried.
This situation made me think about life. When we go through painful situations in life, we need to cry out to God. Doing so may bring much more relief that complaining to friends, worrying, making poor choices, etc. We need to talk things over with God and sometimes "Shout It Out" of our systems in order to bring that breakthrough experience.
Remember this the next time you encounter a painful moment in your life. Cry out to God about your needs, your frustrations and your concerns. It may prove to be the anecdote that you never thought you possessed.
Shouting is in fact a biblical practice that had real purpose. In Joshua 6, shouting was exactly what the people were instructed to do in order to bring down the walls of Jericho. "Joshua commanded the people, "Shout! For the LORD has given you the city!" (Joshua 6:16) Once the people marched around the city seven times and SHOUTED aloud, the walls collapsed. There's power in shouting. "When the trumpets sounded, the people shouted, and at the sound of the trumpet, when the people gave a loud shout, the wall collapsed; so every man charged straight in, and they took the city." (Joshua 6:20). Read the entire book of Joshua to get a complete understanding of the story.
In essence, Shout, Shout, Shout--through the pain (because it will come), when you need a breakthrough (a wall like Jericho to fall) and especially when you experience life's joys.
Be Blessed
Your words are so powerful. I was speaking to someone today about the story of Joshua. It is so funny how we always find ourselves "shouting out" to people when we have problems. While it is good to have someone to talk to or lean on, how WONDERFUL it is for us to know that there is power in calling on the name of the Lord. He may not come when we want Him to, but He will always be on time.
ReplyDeleteI am going to take your advise, the next time I am in a difficult situation or dealing with an issue, I am going to close my mouth and open my heart to GOD. I am going to give a "Shout Out" to the ONE who can make it count.