Incline Thine Ear, O God!
We’ve all been there; standing amidst the chaos around us, wondering “Why God?” We’ve all been brought to points where we feel like we just can’t recover. We don’t know what we’re going to do. We question why God allows such chaos to ensue. Sometimes it’s the overwhelming daily demands that make us feel like our world is on fire. Sometimes, though, we are met with tragedy at what seems like every turn. The circumstances are limitless, but we’ve all had times such as this.
I’ve found myself in the midst of several of these seasons where it feels like I’m experiencing more rain than sunshine. Days where I need God to just ride in on his white horse and whisk me away to a more glorious time, a more peaceful state of being. It’s at times like these that I find myself questioning my situations; wondering if God is even hearing my prayers. I’m reminded through David’s words in Psalms that God, in fact, hears my prayers. Just like David, we can rest assured that God is always nigh, listening for our cries. Psalms 55: 16 shares “Evening, and morning, and at noon, will I pray, and cry aloud: and he shall hear my voice.”
Throughout Psalms you can see a full cycle of David’s emotions; emotions just like we experience day in and day out. David experienced times of joy, times where he was full of praise, but also times where he was surrounded by heartache. He experienced times where enemies encamped about him. In those times, David cried out to the Lord to be his shield, his protector, and his comfort. Over and over again, David cried for God to “Incline” His ear. As I made my way through my study of Psalms, documenting God’s attributes and actions toward us, David’s cries caught my attention. Now, I teach my 7th graders that any time repetition exists in literature, it is important and should be explored. Thus, I decided to explore this topic of David asking God to incline His ear.
The word “Incline,” as it is used in Hebrew (Natah) means “to stretch out, extended, spread out, pitch, turn, incline, bend, bow.” As I read David’s cries again, I began to picture David weeping before the Lord on his face, crying out in desperation for God to be near. In those moments, I can picture God- the merciful, loving, creator- bending down beside David, wrapping His loving arms around him, and listening to David pour out his sorrows in the arms of Jesus. How beautiful, friends, is it to know that God, our creator, kneels beside us in our time of need, opening His arms to us. He is our comfort. We can rest assured that God is always near, and he will always hear our cries.
No matter where you are in life right now- no matter your choices, your circumstances, or the enemies encamped about you-GOD is near. All we need to do is to pour ourselves out at the feet of Jesus.
Reflection:
What circumstances/enemies are encamped about you right now?
Like David, have you poured your worries out at the feet of Jesus? Are you trusting that He is near and hears your cries? If not, take some time to journal a prayer giving it all to God.
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