A Listening Ear

READ: PSALMS 32:6-8; 86:1-7; 120:1

Lifeguards are pretty amazing. Even when they’re stationed at a crowded beach or a noisy pool, their eyes and ears are trained to see people in trouble. Before anyone can work as a lifeguard, they have to take a lifesaving course where they learn how to rescue struggling swimmers from the water and perform critical first aid like CPR. When lifeguards are on duty, they continually watch for anyone who might be in trouble and need help. But, while even the most highly trained lifeguards might not hear a call for help, there is someone who never, ever misses one. Someone who always hears His children when they need Him.

God is constantly watching over you, attentive to your every prayer. He loves you and wants you to turn to Him whenever you’re facing a tough situation, whenever you feel alone or confused or in danger. Rest assured, Jesus hears our prayers. Jesus is God, and—like a lifeguard—Jesus is our Rescuer. God’s promise to hear and answer and rescue is all grounded in Jesus’s ultimate rescue: He saved us from sin and death through His own death and resurrection.

Throughout the Bible, God reminds His people He is listening to us, and He is always present. In Jeremiah 33:3, God says, “Call to me, and I will answer you.” In Psalm 86:7, David declares, “In the day of my trouble I will call on you [God], for you will answer me.” In Matthew 6, Jesus shows His disciples how to pray for God’s kingdom to come as they pray for the minute-by-minute needs they have. In 1 Peter 5:7, Peter reminds us that we can bring our every concern to God, who cares for us.

Those are just a few of the verses that tell us God hears when we call to Him, and they only scratch the surface of God’s ability to hear and answer our prayers. Even though God has lots of people to listen to—way more than a lifeguard—He still hears us all, and each one of our voices is important to Him. • A. W. Smith

• Consider taking some time to reread today’s Bible passages: Psalm 32:6-8; 86:1-7; 120:1; Jeremiah 33:3; Matthew 6:9-13; 1 Peter 5:7. Which verse(s) stick out to you?

• Do you ever feel like God doesn’t hear you or isn’t mindful of you? We all feel like this from time to time. God has compassion on us, and He wants us to tell Him about all this. He invites us to spend time in His Word and with fellow Christians, being reminded of His deep love and care for us. Who are trusted Christians in your life you can talk to when you feel unnoticed by God?

“Call to me, and I will answer you...” Jeremiah 33:3a (WEB)