A Cry Heard in Glory

“I took my troubles to the Lord; I cried out to him, and he answered my prayer.” – Psalm 120:1 (NLT)

There’s something timeless about Louis Armstrong’s voice—deep, weathered, and tender. His rendition of the African-American spiritual "Nobody Knows the Trouble I've Seen" resonates with the sorrow and hope etched into the human experience.

Nobody knows the trouble I've seen,

Nobody knows but Jesus,

Nobody knows the trouble I've seen,

Glory Hallelujah.

These words capture what Psalm 120 expresses so well: distress turned toward God becomes prayer, and prayer becomes a meeting place. Our cries are never lost in the wind—they rise like incense to a Savior who knows the shape of sorrow firsthand.

In our deepest struggles, we may feel unseen by others, but never unknown to Christ. Jesus, acquainted with grief and full of compassion, hears our prayers not as distant complaints, but as sacred openings to relationship. Even our anguish becomes an offering when given to the One who answers with grace.

May the melody of this truth settle deep in your soul: Jesus knows. And Jesus is near.

Compassionate Savior, when others fail to see the weight we carry, You do.

You know every tear, every silent ache, every whispered prayer. In our distress, you meet us not with judgment, but with the tenderness that defines Your love. Transform our cries into confidence, our heaviness into hope. Let the melody of Your mercy carry us today, until our hearts sing again. In Your name we pray, Amen.

Peace & Grace,

Pastor Tim