Who is calling out to heaven???

So they sent the ark of God to Ekron. But as soon as the ark of God came to Ekron, the people of Ekron cried out, “They have brought around to us the ark of the God of Israel to kill us and our people.” They sent therefore and gathered together all the lords of the Philistines and said, “Send away the ark of the God of Israel, and let it return to its own place, that it may not kill us and our people.” For there was a deathly panic throughout the whole city. The hand of God was very heavy there. The men who did not die were struck with tumors, and the cry of the city went up to heaven.
(1 Samuel 5:10-12 ESV)
The people of Israel have lost the battle, lost their leader, and lost their ark. They are standing around hopeless and helpless. Meanwhile, the ark is being "held captive" by the Philistines, who are being assaulted by a plaque and ruled by sheer panic.  Which one calls out to heaven?  Why is it that often it takes more for those of us claiming to be God's people to call out for help than those who do not know Him?  The lowest points at which we find ourselves are not when things are at their worst - we can always find someone else who has it worse.  The lowest times are when things are bad, or good, and we forget to call out to God.