Psalm 5
Have you ever been on a cellphone call and then it gets dropped? Or maybe you are driving and pass through a “dead” zone where, in spite of the call not being disconnected, one person is unable to hear the other? You speak those four oft-repeated words, “Can you hear me?” All the while the person on the other end of the call is asking the same question. Back and forth you go, taking turns…“Can you hear me?” “Can you hear me?” And then just as suddenly as the call was disrupted, you can, indeed, hear each other again. The joys of technology.
Our relationship with God can seem like that sometimes. Rest assured, it is not His end that is not receiving the message. His connection is just fine. We might think God is not listening because we are not seeing the fruits of our prayers. But make no mistake, He hears every word. Because here is the deal. We don’t live in a relationship with a dormant God. Nor a dead God. Nor a deaf God. He is alive, real, and has perfect hearing on every decibel level that exists. Serving in the Air Force and spending a lot of time on the flightline next to running jet engines, my hearing is pretty bad. But God, listening to every prayer, every time, from every person, somehow has never developed tinnitus nor a diminished capacity to hear.
David understood God’s open lines of communication. Open the book of Psalms and choose any of them he authored, and you will see that he was a guy who believed that God could hear his sorrow, his triumphs, his questions, his frustrations, and his praise. Read the opening verse of Psalm 5, “Give ear to my words, O Lord, consider my meditation. Give heed to the voice of my cry, my King and my God, for to You shall I pray.” That certainly sounds like a guy who believes his God has perfect hearing. Also, I don’t know anyone who would spend as much time as David did praying to God and not believe that He indeed is listening. It would be absurd to do that.
He spends the next several verses pointing out the evil that has risen and grown amid his kingdom. He writes about those who are not faithful, who are full of iniquity, mouth full of destruction. But like any good writer, he comes around full circle to close with some positive news. “All those rejoice who put their trust in You; Let them ever shout for joy, because You defend them…You, O Lord, will bless the righteous; with favor You will surround him as with a shield.” Again, does this sound like a crazy dude who believes he is just talking to trees or rocks, or some imaginary friend? Nope. He is conversing with Yahweh, the most high God, the Creator. And in this conversation, there is no threat of a disconnect or dead zone…just a clear line from a king to THE KING.
