I Want My Mama

Read: Isaiah 58:1-14

Then shalt thou call, and the LORD shall answer; thou shalt cry, and he shall say, Here I am.                                                                                                        Isaiah 58:9

     Small children instinctively know who to call for when they get into a troublesome spot. When they fall off the swing on the playground; when they get lost in a department store; or maybe when they feel lonely away from home, they repeat the famous line, “I want my mama.” It is often slurred through sniffles and tears, but a mother could understand her child under any circumstances. If that little child’s mother is anywhere near, the sight or sound of her precious boy in turmoil is enough to make her come running to his aid.

     Just like a mother rushing to help her little boy when he calls, God is ever ready to help us when we call upon Him. Do you struggle with understanding concepts or struggle with trying to memorize things for school? Do you have a hard time getting along with certain people? Do you have a difficult home situation that leaves you feeling very alone? Do you have wounds that have never really healed? God wants to hear that it is too challenging for you and that you need Him. In fact, many times God is waiting to help you if you will just recognize that He is the only one that can rescue you from your situation. It is as if He is watching you from Heaven saying, “Please just call on me. I want to help you.” When we finally get to the end of ourselves and cry out to God, He will be there to succor us.

     The sight of the tears her little boy’s face lets a mother know that something really is troubling her son. As boys grow up, however, they become tougher and more masculine, and the tears and cries for mama subside. Because they value their reputation, they no longer want their mothers scurrying to their sides when they are in pain. They feel they can handle it on their own by that point. Unfortunately, that is the “macho” attitude that many young men develop with God. They cannot cry to God because that looks too weak. They cannot pour their heart out to Him because that is too “sissified.” I beg to differ. Psalms 6:6 shows David watering his bed with tears. Mark 9:24 reveals a father’s tears as he begs for help with his son. Acts 20:19 displays Paul’s heart for the lost as he begs God, through tears, to help them. Even Jesus Himself shed tears in Hebrews 5:7 as He begged God to let the cup of death pass over Him. We do not shed enough tears before our Father. Crying to God does not make us less manly; it lets God know that we desperately need Him and that we are serious about our request. Try it; let your emotions go before your Father. Watch Him come to your side to help you.

Quote of the day: “At my lowest God is my hope; at my darkest, God is my light; at my weakest, God is my strength; at my saddest, God is my comforter.”