What Happens When the Anointed Cry Out
There is a cry that reaches beyond courts, armies, and kings. It is the cry of the righteous when all earthly help fails. It is called an Appeal to Heaven. Though it once flew on a flag in America’s fight for freedom, its origin is older—found in the Scriptures and written on the hearts of those who walk with God.
To appeal to Heaven is to say: “God, You alone are Judge. You alone are King. My cause is before You.” And when the anointed of God pray with clean hands and humble hearts, Heaven listens—and moves.
“In my distress I called upon the Lord, and cried to my God for help; He heard my voice from His temple, and my cry for help came before Him into His ears. Then the earth shook and quaked… He bent the heavens down and came down, with thick darkness under His feet.”
—Psalm 18:6–9 (NASB)
This is no mere metaphor. God literally bows the heavens when His people cry out. The firmament—the unseen layers between heaven and earth—shifts. The Lord arises. Justice rides on the wind. And He comes not as a whisper, but with fire and trembling.
You may contend with many in this life. But you do not want to contend with someone who walks with God and knows how to pray. Because when they make an appeal to Heaven, you are no longer up against them—you are up against the God who defends them. This is the true power of appealing to Heaven.
David understood this. Though Saul hunted him unjustly, David said, “I will not stretch out my hand against the Lord’s anointed” (1 Samuel 26:11, NASB). David feared God more than he hated injustice. He knew that it is God who lifts up and tears down. Touching God’s anointed without cause was not just unwise—it was dangerous.
Elijah knew this power. When he stood on Mount Carmel and prayed, fire fell from heaven and consumed the offering (1 Kings 18:36–38). God answered with fire because His prophet prayed. His appeal to Heaven was answered with divine intervention.
Hezekiah laid a letter from his enemies before the Lord, and cried out. And Scripture says: “Then Isaiah the son of Amoz sent word to Hezekiah, saying, ‘This is what the Lord, the God of Israel says: Because you have prayed to Me…’” (Isaiah 37:21, NASB). That same night, one angel struck down 185,000 Assyrian soldiers. Why? Because he prayed.
In the New Testament, Peter was in chains. Herod had already killed James and was planning to do the same. But it says, “So Peter was kept in the prison, but prayer for him was being made to God intensely by the church” (Acts 12:5, NASB). God sent an angel, the chains fell off, and Peter walked out of a locked prison under the guard of soldiers. That is the power of an appeal to Heaven.
Even the Lord Jesus Christ, before the cross, made His appeal in Gethsemane. He said, “Father, if You are willing, remove this cup from Me; yet not My will, but Yours be done” (Luke 22:42, NASB). And Heaven responded. Not with deliverance, but with strength. “Now an angel from heaven appeared to Him, strengthening Him.” (Luke 22:43, NASB)
Heaven always responds. Whether with fire, angels, deliverance, or strength, God answers the cries of His people. Their appeal to Heaven never goes unheard.
So if you are facing injustice, persecution, or trouble—don’t panic. Pray. If you walk in righteousness, your voice reaches the throne. As it is written:
“The eyes of the Lord are toward the righteous, and His ears are open to their cry. The face of the Lord is against evildoers, to eliminate the memory of them from the earth.”
—Psalm 34:15–16 (NASB)
God hears. God sees. God defends. When the anointed cry out—when they make an appeal to Heaven—the court of Heaven opens, and the Judge of all the earth rises.
Be encouraged: Heaven still bends low. And our God still answers with power.