Hear My Voice when I Call to You

Psalm141

Hear My Voice when I Call to You

                Do you sometimes feel that no one is listening to you?

That is, no one wants to hear your point of view? Or maybe you have said something in the past which has hurt another person so much that they do not wish to talk with you again. God understands. In Psalm 141 we read about the urgency of the writer to have God come and listen to their pleading voice as their prayer is in need of God’s response. It is also a psalm of regret because of words stated and later realizing their impact on another person.

“Hear my voice when I call to you. May my prayer be set before you like incense.”  Incense we know rises quickly like smoke and call does hear all our prayers, we need only to wait upon God to respond but often we do not; we are impatient and want help or support right away..

The Psalmist then explains why there is urgent action needed on God’s part—they said something which they regretted and now they ask God to watch over the door of my lips. They are repentant of the spoken words and now they wish to be forgiven not only by the other person but by God.

“My prayer is ever against the deeds of evildoers.”  The psalmist then gives reasons for this- rulers will be overthrown, and the wicked will learn to speak words of good intention yet they will not be so. The psalmist then states—but my eyes are fixed on you.

How amazing this is—no matter what they have said and done, they will focus on God for He receives them and they are able to take refuge in them. They are kept safe and protected by God as they continue to live life.

What a wonderful Psalm of transformation and change! There is almost a demanding tone in the voice of the psalmist who has hurt their friends through their words and actions and yet in the end, God will help them as they seek forgiveness for their wrongdoing. God will keep them safe and protect them.

This is comforting reassurance and as we read these words we may come to realize that God is with us always. We need not fear! We just need to trust Him.

REFLECTION:

Have you ever almost demanded God to listen to your prayers for yourself and others? What do you think God does when he hears these demanding words? Just reflect on this if someone were to demand you to do something as an adult- do you do it? Or do you rebel and try something totally different. But what if God tells us to do something that you don’t think is quite right will you do it? Trusting God to call you to do something involves a relationship of trust but this trust is not just from you with God; it is also with God and you. We live in an independent age where the hope is to be on one’s own and make our own decisions. What does this mean when we read this Psalm and it says that God will look after us and protect all we need to do is listen?

God will keep you safe if you put your trust in him. God will protect you—but you need to be in a good relationship with him. Do you trust Him? Can God call upon you to live as He teaches?

PRAYER

Wonderful God we thank you that as we invest our lives in you, you never stop loving us. Thank you God for keeping us safe and protecting us. Help us to be careful in what we say and do and enable us all to live loving you. Hear our voices as we call out to you.  And enable us to be patient as you respond through love. We ask this in Jesus’ name. Amen.