For the people shall dwell in Zion at Jerusalem: you shall weep no more: he will be very gracious unto you at the sound of your cry; when he shall hear it, he will answer you.
Read Chapter 30
George Leo Haydock
AD 1849
Weep. The citizens expected certain death, (Haydock) or slavery. (Calmet)
These two then, namely, the grace of God and free will, seem opposed to each other but really are in harmony. And we gather from the system of goodness that we ought to have both alike, lest if we withdraw one of them from man, we may seem to have broken the rule of the church’s faith. For when God sees us inclined to will what is good, he meets, guides. and strengthens us. For “at the voice of your cry, as soon as he shall hear, he will answer you”; and “Call upon me,” he said, “in the day of tribulation, and I will deliver you, and you shall glorify me.” And again, if he finds that we are unwilling or have grown cold, he stirs our hearts with salutary exhortations, by which a good will is either renewed or formed in us. - "Conference 13.11"
The divine protection, then, is always inseparably present to us, and so great is the love of the Creator for his creature that his providence not only stands by it but even goes constantly before it. The prophet, who has experienced this, confesses it very clearly when he says, “My God will go before me with his mercy.” When he notices good will making an appearance in us, at once he enlightens and encourages it and spurs it on to salvation, giving increase to what he himself planted and saw arise from our own efforts. For, he says, “before they cry, I will hear them. I will hear them when they are still speaking.” And again: “As soon as he hears the voice of your cry, he will respond to you.” Not only does he graciously inspire holy desires, but also he arranges favorable moments in one’s life and the possibility of good results, and he shows the way of salvation to those who are straying. - "Conference 13.8.3–4"
