He Bends Down To Listen

“I love Yahweh 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

When I read this bit of the Psalm, I can’t help but think of when you see a father or mother, bending down to listen closely to a small child, as they’re asking mom or dad for something, straining to get their attention and thus, have their voice heard.

What a wonderful image for the Psalmist to grab hold of, and then use as the foundation for why he — and we — must “pray as long as we have breath!” As Eugene Peterson has reflected:

“It is marvelous that God speaks to us — life-giving, world-creating words. This marvel is matched by another — that he listens to us.”

And it is his listening, my friend, that “gives all our words significance and makes all our prayers personal.”

This is why I love Yahweh. Because he hears our voices, and our prayers for mercy. It’s my hope you’ll join me on my knees, as we speak up to his bent-down ear, asking for mercy for each other, and all those whom we love and hold dear.

Yes, and very amen, in Jesus’ name.