There is a great deal of crying echoing in today’s Scripture readings. Poverty often gives rise to tears—many of them. No one desires to live in a state of lack. To live in need is to suffer, and while no one on earth possesses everything they want, we all need our necessities to be met. The story of Hagar and her son in the book of Genesis reminds us how God hears the cries of those in desperation. Abandoned and waiting to die from hunger and thirst, their cry reached heaven.
God not only provided water but also gave them hope for the future. As the angel of the Lord said to Hagar: “Do not be afraid; God has heard the boy’s cry in his plight. Arise, lift up the boy and hold him by the hand, for I will make of him a great nation” (Genesis 21:17–18). Often, we cry out to God only when all other options have failed—when we have exhausted our resources and are at the end of ourselves. A “cry” in this context is not just emotional; it represents a deep, unrelenting determination—a search for divine help when human strength has reached its limit. In such moments, Scripture assures us: “In their distress, they cried to the Lord, and He delivered them” (Psalm 107:6).
Why a Cry Moves God
The cry of the poor touches the heart of God. Not just the existence of poverty but the cry itself—the active reaching out for help. Scripture does not simply say, “The Lord hears the poor,” but specifically, “the cry of the poor.” There is power in that movement of the heart that says, “Now is the time for a change!” It signals a readiness to seek a different direction, a refusal to remain in bondage, and a willingness to seek God.
Throughout history, we have heard testimonies of men and women who rose from desperate beginnings to lives of abundance. Their perseverance, their refusal to be defined by poverty, is itself a kind of “cry”—one that God hears and responds to. So, too, people have found deliverance from addiction, spiritual stagnation, and emotional despair because they cried out in their distress, and the Lord answered them.
It is essential to note that not every tear is a cry for divine help. Some tears are expressions of emotion without direction. However, the biblical understanding of the “poor” is different—it refers to those who acknowledge their dependence on God, recognizing that only He can complete what is lacking in them. This kind of poverty is a necessary spiritual posture. From this perspective, the ability to recognize our need for God is itself a grace—and the cry that rises from such dependence never goes unheard.
A Final Thought
When was the last time you cried out to God? Was it for a material need, a spiritual struggle, or something else entirely? And what answer did you receive—was it provision, direction, or peace in the storm? God is still listening. The cry of the poor still moves Him.
