“LORD, hear my prayer! Listen to my plea! Don’t turn away from me in my time of distress. Bend down
to listen and answer me quickly when I call to you.” Psalm 102:1-2 NLT
The beginning of Psalm 102 does not “mince words.” It is direct, almost commanding. It shouts for God
to hear, to listen, to answer. It speaks to relationship, expressing a desire for God to bend down and
come closer without delay. Some might find the psalmist a bit presumptuous. Yet, we see his heart in
the next statement, “For my days disappear like smoke and my bones burn like red-hot coals.”
There are times in our personal lives and in the life of our nation where this firm belief in a God who
hears, listens and answers is all that is certain. May we come before Him in our grief and sorrow with
unflinching faith in His Goodness to not only listen, but know that He IS the God who Heals.