DAILY READING
REFLECTION
Hello
by Elaine Pierce
Are you listening to me? Do you hear me? Is anybody home? Silence can be frustrating, can't it? David certainly feels that way as he calls out to God and says "To you I call, O LORD my Rock; do not turn a deaf ear to me. If you remain silent I will be like those who have gone down to the pit." (Psalm 28 v. 1) To be heard, to be seen, to be recognized - it's part of who we are as humans created in God's image. And when we feel like we are in an echo chamber, it can be one of the loneliest places to be. Listen to Adele's song, Hello, which captures that experience we've all had of reaching out and not hearing anything back.
But David doesn't leave us with these words of lament and sadness. He continues to ask God for help, and in verses 6 and 7, he thanks God for hearing him:
"Praise be to the Lord, for he has heard my cry for mercy...My heart leaps for joy, and with my song I praise him."
I'm sure you've all heard the expression that goes something like this: "God's timing and my timing are often not the same." It's certainly true in my life. I want immediate answers, and I want them yesterday. (And, usually, I have definite opinions on what the answer should be.)
Take a moment to meditate on this psalm. Make David's prayer your own. Thank God for what he is doing in your life, and in the life of the body of believers (notice how he makes this psalm corporate in the last two verses). God is listening. God is waiting. God is patient. God will lead you, and he will lead us. Thanks be to God!
PRAYER
Lord, so often I want what I want, and I tell you to do what I think you should do. Help me, day by day, to stop, to listen, to lean into you and trust you to show me the way. I see only a little bit ahead - you see beyond today and beyond the corner, the trees, the mountains. Your plans are good, and you love me and your church and you are our shepherd and our strength. Amen.
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