Thoughts By Mike Di Maria

The CRY method for prayer
So often we liken prayer to a formula. I was brought up with the acronym A>C>T>S you know Adoration, Confession, Thanksgiving, and Supplication. Its not a bad model in fact its a good model. Of course we have the Lords prayer
“Our father which art in heaven hallowed be thy Name Thy kingdom come Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven”
Obviously this is a good plan as well. But as I read scripture there is a model that Is very prevalent in scripture, but talked about very little in our modern evangelicalism. I call it the CRY method. I'm not sure what it means in the Hebrew or Greek but the Wikipedia says to cry is the shedding of tears as a response to an emotional state in humans.” also called ( sobbing, weeping, bawling, and blubbering) I don't know about you but when I cry its usually because something has moved me very deeply. David writes in some 40 v1 “I waited patiently on the Lord he inclined his ear to me and heard my Cry.” Psalm 55:1 Give ear to my prayer O God, and hide not yourself from my plea for mercy.” I'm not sure about you but plea and cry are similar in there out put of emotion. Psalm 61:1-2 Hear my cry, O God, listen to my prayer, from the end of the earth I call to you when my heart is faint, Lead me to the rock the is higher than I, for you have been my refuge, a strong tower against the enemy. Psalm 102:1 Hear my prayer, O Lord, let my cry come to you! Do not hide your face from me in the day of my distress! Incline your ear to me, answer me speedily in the day when I call.Psalm 119:145 With my whole heart I cry, answer me, O Lord! verse 147. I rise before dawn and cry for help, I hope in your words verse 169-170 Let my cry come before you, O lord, give me understanding according to your word! let my plea come before you psalm 142:1 WITH MY VOICE I CRY OUT TO THE LORD, WITH MY VOICE I PLEAD FOR MERCY TO THE LORD.
Well you get the point a whole lot of emotion, tears, and loudness. I'm sure it would have been a little uncomfortable to be in one of Davids prayer meetings with all that bawling and squalling going on. And then there is a couple of New Testament illustrations that we can draw upon as well. Of course we know that in Luke 19:41 Jesus drew near to the city and wept over it. And then there is the story of blind Bartimaeus in Mark 10:46-48 A blind beggar named Bartimaeus heard that Jesus of Nazareth was coming down the road and began to CRY out Jesus, son of David have mercy on me Jesus son of David have mercy on me and the more he cried out the more the crowed tried to shush him. It says that many rebuked him and told him to be silent “But he CRIED all the more” And finally James 5:16 states that the effectual fervent prayer of the righteous man availeth much
Whats the point? So much of what we call prayer is with out any emotion. There is certainly no fervency nor urgency to it. When was the last time I wept for my community, or the condition of the children at the elementary school down the road from me. And what about the spiritual condition of the world around me we are quick to judge and share our disapproval of the immorality we see in so many. But I have yet to be in a prayer meeting where we have shed tears, bawled, blubbered, sobbed, and wept through the night for God to please do something. Every where in scripture that the CRY method was used God responded. David said in Psalm 40 “He turned his ear and heard”. How desperate are we? Its obvious by what I don’t hear, its safe to say not very. Whats the answer, prayer of course, God break my heart until I weep for the things that break your heart. Then maybe we to will be able to exclaim with confidence. He’s heard, He’s heard, and He has seen me, and he has answered!!!!!