Psalm 116:1
I love the Lord because he hears
and answers my prayers.
Because he bends down
and listens.
I will pray as long as I
have breath!
When I was about ten or eleven years old I had a very soft voice. Partly because my voice wasn’t very loud and partly because I was timid.
There were many times when I tried to speak to adults and they would have to bend down closer to me so they could hear what I was saying.
I recall overhearing my grandpa say, “We’ve got to get that boy to speak up!” It didn’t help that he was partially deaf.
When I got to high school I still had a soft voice. One of my teachers would put a hand on my shoulder, incline their head toward me and listen until I was done speaking. I felt like he really cared about me.
If someone really wanted to hear what I was saying they would take the time to bend down, incline their head close and listen intently.
Whether it was a teacher, sports coach, or my parents I knew they wanted to hear what I had to say by their actions. When someone bends down to hear, you can be sure they are making listening to you a priority.
What an amazing picture we have of the Lord in Psalm 116:1-2!
“He bends down to listen!”
The God of the Universe is making listening to me a priority! What if we made spending time with Him a priority?
The response by the psalmist in verse 2 says it well, “I will pray as long as I have breath!”
Even though God is present everywhere and we can talk to him anytime we still need time alone with him.
We are so busy! How can we find time to pray? (I won’t ask you how many Netflix or Prime shows you watch daily…or how much time you’ve spent on video games.)
Try finding a time and place where you won’t be distracted. (For me it is walking or hiking.)
Turn off your phone.
Talk to God. Praise Him (Music can help) thank him, pray for others, pray for your needs, and confess (admit) your sin to Him.
Do it every day.