Why we should cry out to God in the midst of suffering

My heart thumps loudly in my chest. My hands feel cold and clammy as I grip the gun. I’m alone, I think to myself. Utterly alone, trapped in this big, dark room for who knows how long, especially because I don’t know where the exit is. I’m alone, helpless, and afraid. And very lost.

My heart is beating louder than a drum in blasting speakers. Frantically, I try to look around the corner and find my partner, who had been with me only minutes before. No avail. I can’t find anyone. I hear noise, but I don’t know which direction it’s coming from, or if it’s from the enemy. I’m doomed - trapped - abandoned. Goose bumps cover my arms as I look for a way out, ashamed to admit that I’m lost. 

But my anxiety and fear of being forever left behind eventually takes over, and I call out my partner’s name. I’m embarrassed to find that my voice is squeaky and cracks. ​

Within seconds, he replies, “I’m right here,” in his calm, kind way and immediately I’m reunited with him under his guidance. With his help, we soon find the way out of the dark room and back into the light. I’m saved.

And so ends my first experience with laser tag. Don’t laugh.

If this story hadn't had a good moral, I probably would’ve never retold this story to anyone, lol (although I can now safely say that I LOVE laser tag and am not worried about going off without a partner).

Let’s put my experience into perspective with daily life. A lot of times, we get lost in the darkness -e.g. “general” sin, anxiety, guilt, fear, depression, busyness, pain, etc and have gotten so used to it that we no longer know how to get out. And we’re ashamed that we’re so broken, messy and sinful and we’re afraid of others knowing and judging us. We’re afraid of what they’ll say or think.

So, we continue to gripe around in the dark, in our shame, and we go nowhere but deeper into the dark. It’s like we’re in a deep, dark pit that we can’t climb out of, because it’s so dark and steep.

But what we do know is that there’s someone standing at the surface with a flashlight and a ladder, who can’t help because no one’s calling out. Because, in our stubbornness and pride, we want to get out by ourselves, without help. So we stay silent.

What we also don’t know is that there are hundreds of other people around us stuck in pits, silent. We think we’re the only people who are lost, broken, and struggling. We aren’t, family, someone else is also going through the exact same thing you are! The thing is that we are all so silent. We hide the pain and slather on a fake smile because we think we have to be perfect to be loved.

The only difference between the pit story and reality is that God CAN help us and He knows we’re struggling, but He wants you to call out to Him. He wants to hear your voice. God already knows who you are; He knows your past and loves you despite it. When you call out, He will find you - though He already knows where you are - and help you get through, though it may take time.

Take heart, family, and call upon the Lord - He will always find you.