It will break a king’s heart if there is an injustice within his kingdom that he doesn’t know about. King David knew that. He could only help the people whose voices he could hear. He dreaded the idea that there were many cries for help that never made it within earshot of his throne.

A king can only help when he hears the requests for help. Which makes Psalm 18 interesting.

This is a psalm in which David gives thanks that God heard him crying for help. David had been running for his life from King Saul. While David was on the run, he wasn’t exactly a model of what it looks like to trust God. He failed more than once. He tried taking matters into his own hands. But he kept crying out for help along the way. Here’s how David put it in this psalm: “In my distress I called to the LORD; I cried to my God for help. From his temple he heard my voice; my cry came before him, into his ears” (verse 6).

Maybe today you’ll feel like something in your life is being threatened. Maybe you’ll experience distress. And when that happens, you might not be a perfect model of what it looks like to trust God. But the good news is that no matter where you are or where you’ve been, your King can hear you. Your King wants to hear from you.