Yesterday I posted a simple Psalm about listening and how God listens to us. But after reading it over and over again, one of the verses kind of jumped off the screen at me.
Sunrise over Safe Haven Farm – Haven, KS
Today’s verse is Psalm 17:6.
I am praying to you because I know you will answer, O God.
Bend down and listen as I pray.
I remember posting last year about how God bends down to our level so we can see that He hears us. But what really stood out to me about this verse today is the fact that we can ask Him to bend down and listen.
I have some really great friends. And we can talk about anything. But if I really need to tell them something, I just have to ask them to listen. Some of them, I don’t even have to ask; they just do it. But you get the point. If you’re close friends with someone, you can ask them to stop what they’re doing and get down on your level so you can communicate with them.
That’s one thing for friends. That’s another thing when you’re talking to the God of the universe.
There are two kinds of listening, the listening that you do from a distance and the listening that you do when you’re close. I went to my church’s First Wednesday service last night and listened to a wonderful message about prayer and boldness and gratitude, but I listened from a distance. What my pastor was telling me was personal, because everything he talks about is personal to him, which is one of the reasons How God can use it to make such a difference in peoples’ lives.
But distance listening is different than “bending down” listening. “Bending down” listening is being so comfortable with a someone that you can share your deepest worries and concerns with them. It’s getting in close with someone else and revealing your faults and flaws and failures and knowing that they will love you in spite of them. It means you can tell them anything. And it means you’re close enough to tell them, “Hey, bend down and listen to what I have to say!”
Check out our verse again:
I am praying to you because I know you will answer, O God. Bend down and listen as I pray.
Are you close enough to God to ask Him to bend down and listen while you pour out your heart? If you aren’t, it’s not difficult to get there. The only person keeping God out of your life on a personal level is you. God wants to be involved in your life. He wants to play a personal role in your decision making. He wants to be an integral part of your day. And many times, I think we actively try to keep Him out because we think He’ll be ashamed of us if He really knows who we are inside.
I’ve got news, Christians. He already knows you. And He loves you anyway. So stop trying to keep Him at arm’s length, and invite Him to “bend down” in your prayer life. Get specific. Get real. And just talk to Him.
God wants to be your friend. Yes, we always need to keep in mind that He’s God. We need to remember who He is. But God isn’t a tyrant and He doesn’t want terror from us. He wants us to call Him, “daddy,” remember? He wants to be that close to us.
Don’t be afraid of what He’ll find if you open up to Him. He already knows. So look up and ask Him to bend down. He’ll do it every time.
Always Peachy 