They did not cry out to Me with their heart when they wailed upon their beds. Hos. 7:14 This verse has had my attention for a while because it pointed out to me the difference between crying and crying out to God.

So, cry out:

• When you need mercy
• When your heart is broken
• When you don’t understand
• When you’re in trouble
  • In the day of my trouble I will call upon You,, For You will answer me. Ps. 86:7
  • Because He has inclined His ear to me, Therefore I will call upon Him as long as I live. Ps. 116:2
  • For the eyes of the LORD run to and fro throughout the whole earth, to show Himself strong on behalf of those whose heart is loyal to Him. 2 Chron. 16:9
• When you don’t have words
• When you need to say the same thing over and over
• When the weight of the burden is too heavy for you to bear
• When you see promises
• When you see sin and need to be forgiven Ps. 32
• When you’re distressed and/or depressed Ps. 42
• When your heart is overflowing
• When you need to hear from Him
• Until  your heart is fully submitted

This is not exhaustive because we need to live in intimate friendship and total dependence all the time.

Our default is independence, works, deserving/earning what we get. God’s way is dependence, receiving. It requires humility, acknowledging emptiness, even desperation. We long for some revelation or experience that will fix that – make us good – make us enough. We ask Him to give us what would make us proud, independent, sufficient. Little do we know we’re begging for what would make us comfortable in our  crippled estate.

We will never have an experience that does that for us – that makes us enough.

God does give us wonderful, life-changing experiences, turning point moments, growth spurts. But we are to live broken and poured out – ever being emptied, ever needing Him and His Spirit. And that constant fellowship and awareness of His presence, on-going filling, on-going revelation, and being used is thrilling fulfillment.