I love the Lord because he hears my voice and my prayer for mercy. Because he bends down to listen, I will pray as long as I have breath! — Psalm 116:1-2 NLT
Ring. Ring. Ring. “Hello. You have reached your doctor’s office. We are concerned about your safety, so if this call is an emergency please hang up and dial 911. If not, please stay on the line and listen to the following options as the menu may have changed . . .” I chose option number 2, “I AM A PATIENT.”
Ring. Ring. Ring. “Hello, all of our representatives are busy with other callers right now but your call is important to us and will be answered in the order it was received.” MUSIC PLAYS.
Then a few minutes later, “Hello, all of our representatives are busy with other callers right now . . . please stay on the line . . .” MUSIC AGAIN PLAYS. You all know the drill.
Sound familiar? Now am I the only one who has ever gotten a little irritated at the wait while wondering what the call representatives were really doing while I was waiting? Maybe their boss called them into a staff meeting and they all put their phones on, “Play Standard Greeting.” Or maybe nobody showed up for work yet. Or, maybe they are short-handed and that would be a good place for the guy at the intersection with the sign that says, “Will work for food,” to apply for a job. Come on, I know you’ve had similar thoughts.
Now, I have said all of this playfully and to make a point—not to complain but to praise. I love my caregivers. They are highly dedicated to their profession and what would we do without them? I have prayed with many of them on the phone or in person. But aren’t we glad that we don’t have to go through all that to get to speak to God?
Can you imagine crying out, “O, God . . .” and then having an angel or a new arrival in heaven answer your call (in the order it was received, of course), to tell you to, “stay on the line because your call is very important to God who is also very busy at the moment helping others from around the world who are also praying.” ANGELIC CHOIR SINGS.
The writer of Psalm 116 above reminds us that God is not like that. In fact, when we begin to pray he immediately hears our voice. He’s not off in some distant place where we have to wait for his return or take a number to be called upon. We’re told He even bends down to listen because we are so small and he is so big. The Hebrew word for bends down (or inclines) used here is nata and it means to stretch out a covering or a tent over something. I see the picture of a dad bending down and drawing his little child close and covering them and comforting them with his body (his tent) while he listens to their cry.
One of the sons of Korah also got this revelation when he wrote Psalm 46. He began by reminding us that when we pray, “God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble” (Psalm 46:1). Ever-present means that God is always there. The writer of Hebrews confirmed that bold declaration when he quoted God, “Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you” (Deuteronomy 31:6; Hebrews 13:5). Did not Jesus also tell his followers, “Surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age” (Matthew 28:20)? And didn’t Jesus also say in his instructions to his disciples on prayer, “that your Father knows what you need before you ask him” (Matthew 6:8)? That’s about as close as you can get!
Now I admit to you, I don’t know how God does it. How does he listen to all the prayers in the world every second of every hour and still manages to answer each one of us individually, while putting a million things in motion that we can’t even imagine? Then again, I don’t need to know because that’s why he is the great I AM—and I am not!
So my friends, let’s “Be devoted to prayer” (Colossians 4:2); “Pray without ceasing” (1 Thessalonians 5:17); and “Pray about everything” (Philippians 4:6). That’s the best 911 call I know of and you won’t be kept on hold!
Maranatha! — Pastor Don Kimbro
