October 6th
Is Anyone Listening?
Give ear to my words, O Lord; give heed to my sighing.
Listen to the sound of my cry,
my King and my God,
for to you I pray.
O Lord, in the morning you hear my voice;
in the morning I plead my case
to you, and watch…But let all who take refuge in you rejoice; let them ever sing for
joy. Spread your protection over them, so that those who love your name may
exult in you. For you bless the righteous, O Lord; you cover them with favor as with a shield.
“Is
Anyone Listening?”
I
ask this all the time. I ask this when I
can’t sleep and my mind is racing. I ask
this when I pray the same thing over and over again. I ask this when I pray and only hear silence
in return. I ask this when bad things
happen that are completely unexpected. I
ask this because I need to know. I need
to know that I am not alone. I need to
know that God is real and He can actually hear me. I need to know that I am not wasting my time
and my life in praying to a God that does not care.
The Psalmist urges God to hear his words, to pay attention to his supplications. He asks God to listen as he makes his case and then finishes the Psalm with celebrations over God’s goodness and His protection. The psalmist knows that he wears the favor of God as a shield and that is enough for him.
I want God’s favor to mean this: automatic success. Everything that I try will be accomplished perfectly and I will be filled with joy and peace as I rack up win after win after win. I have come to believe that this is not accurate.
I have spent a lot of time around kids and teenagers as a youth/college pastor. I have gone to a lot of birthday parties, a lot of school trips, a lot of youth groups and conferences. Here is the conclusion that I have come to: I find most young people to be incredibly annoying. I find my own children to be fascinating and deeply enjoyable. I am attuned to the moods of my kids more than to others. I know the contexts behind their words and their actions. I get their references and my ear recognizes their voices in a crowd. Whatever they say…however they react…it is the first thing that I notice, even in a room full of young voices.
That is God’s favor. He is our parent. His ear is attuned to our voices. His attention hones in on us and our circumstances and our moods. Out of all the noise and chaos and confusion in Creation, God’s attention will always rest upon us. He finds us fascinating and deeply enjoyable and He is deeply invested in our growth.
Does that mean that we will we always succeed? No. Will He always be with us? Yes. Will we be able to avoid suffering? No. Is He always listening for our voices as we call out? Yes.
God is listening. Always. Sometimes He responds quickly. Often He waits for us to stop talking and to listen for His response. Just like I wait for my kids to stop talking and crying to talk with them. Unless it is an emergency, I usually do not feel the need to yell over my kids. They can have their say and voice all of their complaints and concerns and then when they are out of breath and spent, I finally have the opportunity to speak into their situations and concerns. I think God finds Himself in a similar situation with us many times.
God is listening. We are not alone. Not yesterday. Not today. Not ever alone.
I want God’s favor to mean this: automatic success. Everything that I try will be accomplished perfectly and I will be filled with joy and peace as I rack up win after win after win. I have come to believe that this is not accurate.
I have spent a lot of time around kids and teenagers as a youth/college pastor. I have gone to a lot of birthday parties, a lot of school trips, a lot of youth groups and conferences. Here is the conclusion that I have come to: I find most young people to be incredibly annoying. I find my own children to be fascinating and deeply enjoyable. I am attuned to the moods of my kids more than to others. I know the contexts behind their words and their actions. I get their references and my ear recognizes their voices in a crowd. Whatever they say…however they react…it is the first thing that I notice, even in a room full of young voices.
That is God’s favor. He is our parent. His ear is attuned to our voices. His attention hones in on us and our circumstances and our moods. Out of all the noise and chaos and confusion in Creation, God’s attention will always rest upon us. He finds us fascinating and deeply enjoyable and He is deeply invested in our growth.
Does that mean that we will we always succeed? No. Will He always be with us? Yes. Will we be able to avoid suffering? No. Is He always listening for our voices as we call out? Yes.
God is listening. Always. Sometimes He responds quickly. Often He waits for us to stop talking and to listen for His response. Just like I wait for my kids to stop talking and crying to talk with them. Unless it is an emergency, I usually do not feel the need to yell over my kids. They can have their say and voice all of their complaints and concerns and then when they are out of breath and spent, I finally have the opportunity to speak into their situations and concerns. I think God finds Himself in a similar situation with us many times.
God is listening. We are not alone. Not yesterday. Not today. Not ever alone.
A moment to reflect:
How do you know if God is listening?
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