Crying out to God

"The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit,
A broken and a contrite heart—
These, O God, You will not despise." ~Psalm 51:17

"The Lord is near to those who have a broken heart, And saves such as have a contrite spirit." ~Psalm 34:18

The Lord has been teaching me a lot lately about drawing near to Him with a humble heart and crying out to Him.

As I have studied the life of Jesus in the first twelve chapters of John, the Lord has taught me one thing in particular: 

The Lord never forces Himself on us. 

He went into the temple and waited for the people to come to Him to be taught.  He asked the diseased man if he wished to be healed instead of just healing him.  Stories like these (and so many more) demonstrate how Jesus does not force His healing on us, rather He waits for us to approach Him and cry out to Him.

As I've been memorizing in the Psalms, I've seen over and over again how the Lord has strengthened David's heart.  But it is only after he has thrown himself at His feet and cried out to Him.

"Blessed are the poor in spirit..."

Have you ever wondered what it means to be "poor in spirit," as Jesus mentions as blessed in the beatitudes?  As I have meditated on this verse over the past week, the Lord has shown my heart that it means to mourn our own worthlessness.  To be humble in spirit.  To be broken over our own sin and horrible natures.  To thoroughly despise our pride and self-centeredness.

James 4 speaks so well on this topic:

"Draw near to God and He will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners; and purify your hearts, you double-minded. Lament and mourn and weep! Let your laughter be turned to mourning and your joy to gloom. Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and He will lift you up" (vs. 8-10).

If we desire the Lord to work in our lives, we must not approach Him in our own strength. We must not be proud of what we have done (for it is as filthy rags).  

Rather, we must poor our hearts out before Him and beg our merciful Father for mercy.

We must cry out to Him from desperation.

How can we cry out to the Lord?  How can we apply these verses about a broken heart?  What if our heart doesn't feel very broken?  I have felt the same way myself many times, but the Lord has taught me to passionately plead with Him to make me know my own sin and desperate.  To make me thoroughly hate myself (for indeed, there is nothing to love). And to make us completely desperate for Him.  

And when we do this, He will answer.  

He is in this thing with you.  He longs for you to draw near to Him and He delights in answering your prayers.  But He won't push Himself on you.  He waits patiently for you to really and truly want Him from the bottom of your heart.  To be desperate for Him.  And when you cry out from a broken and contrite heart, He will answer.

Let us cry out to Him in desperation, and He will answer!