God is Listening

“I waited patiently for the LORD;
And He inclined to me and heard my cry.” —Psalm 40:1

I have read this Psalm on the tenth day of most months for the last forty years or so. That is well over four hundred times. Yet how many times have I read it and missed the beauty of this verse?

One of the things I love about the Bible is how God hides these jewels throughout His Word. We only find them when we slow down. When we “meditate in” Scripture.

As I linger over this Psalm, I begin to read it out of order:

“My iniquities have overtaken me, so that I am not able to see;
They are more numerous than the hairs of my head,
And my heart has failed me.” —Psalm 40:12

Many times this has described my desperation as I’ve cried out in prayer. Too often I’ve waited until my folly has gotten out of hand to turn my focus back to God. In these moments it’s easy to feel like my prayers are bouncing off the ceiling. Like God can’t hear — or isn’t listening. He seems distant. Unapproachable. I begin to feel alone. Cut off. It is so easy to give up and stop praying.

David sheds more light on this condition in verse 2 when he confesses that he had been in:

“the pit of destruction.”

The Hebrew imagery here is quite distinctive. What David is referring to is having fallen into a deep, narrow hole, with the bottom filled with thick, sticky mud. The image is of one who is slipping and sinking, unable to climb out — and all the while surrounded by loud chaos and ruin.

Verses 2 and 12, taken together, speak of a desperation that can find no relief.

I’ve been there. In the midst of the fear and noise, there is a very real temptation to give up — to simply relax and allow the mud to swallow me.

But then I am reminded of verse 1:

“I waited patiently for the LORD.”

I stop clawing at the sides. I stop trying to climb out. Instead, I simply hold on and turn my focus away from the pit and toward my Savior. I cry out to Him.

Instead of seeing His back — as if He were going to ignore me and leave me in my pitiful condition —

I see His ear!

This imagery — for a Hebrew reader — was unmistakable.

In their culture, you bow before kings. The king will never bow before you. To fail to humble yourself in the presence of a king could mean death. This was an etiquette that everyone understood.

Yet David describes God as “inclining.” That means leaning in — something a king would never do. Paying close attention. Listening closely so He does not miss the meaning of what is being said. It brings to mind our posture after we say, “Wait… say that again.”

David sees God actively listening — and hearing.

What an amazing jewel! God doesn’t simply hear our prayers — in the sense that He is merely aware that we are praying. He listens intently. He doesn’t miss a single word.

In fact, our Heavenly Father listens beyond our words to the cry of our hearts.

Because David is certain that God is paying close attention, he can boldly pray:

“Since I am afflicted and needy,
Let the Lord be mindful of me.
You are my help and my deliverer;
Do not delay, O my God.” —Psalm 40:17

And David is confident of God’s response…

“He set my feet upon a rock making my footsteps firm.
He put a new song in my mouth, a song of praise to our God.” —Psalm 40:2–3

Amen.