The God Who Hears

Yesterday was somewhat of a blah day. And when I have blah days, I need to write. With the whirlwind of events that have taken place over the past couple of weeks, I have not been able to write much. I realized today that the lack of writing has caused a lack of an outlet for me; resulting in me becoming somewhat inward and contemplative. I spent a fair bit of yesterday and today quiet and emotionless. Most of the time, I feel the strength of the Lord helping me through each day. But, then there are days like yesterday. I just desperately long for heaven on days like that.

I had a busy morning today, so it was a little later on in the evening that I was able to take some time to spend reading the Word. I have been following a reading plan for quite some time now in an effort to read the Bible completely through, but today I decided to break from the plan and read a Psalm of David.

I enjoy reading the Psalms. I get David. And if David were here, I think he would understand me too. He has no trouble writing out his emotions and He asks questions of the Lord, but almost always turns it around by the end of the psalm with great faith. The psalm I read today was Psalm 6. It is just a short psalm, but in it David provided a picture of what he was currently going through. He experienced grief. He experienced pain. He experienced sadness. In verse 6, David said, “I am weary with my groaning; all night I make my bed swim; I drench my couch with my tears. My eye wastes away because of grief…” David never shied away from sharing what was on his heart or asking God questions. His relationship was authentic and close enough to his Master that he felt comfortable in being real and asking the tough questions.

Although David asked questions of God, he never seemed to become bitter at the Lord or blame Him for his circumstances. We do not always know exactly how the Lord answered his questions, but we do see that David almost always would end his writings on a positive note with faith and trust in the Him. We see this pattern again in Psalm 6, verse 8: “For the Lord has heard the voice of my weeping. The Lord has heard my supplication: the Lord will receive my prayer.”

My heart has endured more in the past few months than I ever thought it would. Loss is not easy. Right now, I feel an emptiness that lingers. I know that Mom’s passing and our son’s move to university in another province is still fresh, and that loneliness is still raw. But, David’s example gives me hope. He endured many trials and heartache in his life as well, and although he was not perfect, his heart was after God’s own heart. David’s own journalling through the psalms shows us that we can be real and honest with God. When we remain soft and pliable in the Lord's hands, not brittle and bitter, our faith and trust in the Lord will help us endure the most difficult of circumstances.

I am so grateful for a loving Saviour who accepts us, loves us, and cares for us even when we are messy, real, and broken in His presence. We may not always know the answer to our ‘why’, but we can be assured that even when the words no longer come and all we have left is the voice of our weeping, He is the God who hears.