God Listens
You who answer prayer, to you all
people will come. – Psalm 65:2
When I was a child, the Mormons aired a television
commercial that really hit close to home for me. It was about a little girl who
had just returned home from a birthday party. Her mother didn’t want to hear
about the party because she was busy folding clothes and watching a soap opera.
Her Dad was too busy to listen. So was her brother. She finally sat down on the
back step and asked the dog if he wanted to hear about the party.
I’m sure there are details I’ve forgotten over the
years. The message remains. There are times in our lives when we need someone
to listen and they simply can’t or won’t. And there are times in our lives when
someone else needs us to listen and we either can’t or won’t.
Are you a good listener? Do you listen to hear or to
respond? Do you listen only so you can tell something about yourself? Or do you
ask questions and make comments about what the other person is saying?
So often, we try to make it about us. Many times we
think we’re too busy to stop and hear what someone else has to say. We think we’ll
have plenty of time for conversation one day. Except one day never comes.
I saw something on Facebook recently that said there
are seven days in the week. One day isn’t one of them. But we act as though it
is. We’ve got lots of plans for one day.
We get caught up in life, don’t we? We plan to spend
quality time with our children except we are so busy. We’ve got work and then
we’re racing kids to soccer practice and dance and a host of other activities.
We’re there but, well, someone is always texting or calling. And we need to
relax. There’s surely nothing wrong with playing video games or scrolling
mindlessly through Facebook. We can listen another time.
Except when will one day come? When do we share a
conversation with the people that we care about? When do we look someone in the
eye, share a smile, chuckle over a joke?
I’ve always been blessed. God never, ever left me
alone. I learned early in life that He is quick to listen. It is a comfort that
I have carried with me. He surrounds me. He is with me.
People are amazed that I’m not lonely. Why would I be?
I am so blessed with the people in my life, those who are there no matter what.
But I am mostly blessed with a God who listens, who sees me, who holds me
close. Always. Forever.
I don’t understand those who find it hard to pray. It
doesn’t have to be formal. It doesn’t have to always be more of a ritual or a
list of thanks and requests. Yes, God is Creator and to be respected and held
in awe. But He is also Abba, Father, Daddy. I am many things in this world but
the first thing I am is His child.
I talk to God constantly. Yes, I have formal prayer
times. But why would any of us limit time with God to just that? I thank Him
constantly for blessings as I enjoy them. I ask for His help and guidance as
situations pop up through the day. I ask Him to watch over others, whether I
know them or their story or not. It’s how I keep myself connected to the source
of life while I travel through a sometimes dark world.
I hope that whatever you face today, you take a moment
and invite God in. I hope that you talk to Him, let Him calm you and guide you.
I hope you share your laughter with God, as well as your tears. He loves you. And
He’s always there to listen.
