“Moses and Aaron were among his priests,
Samuel also was among those who called upon his name.
They called to the LORD, and he answered them.”
Psalm 99:6
I just want us to dwell here for a moment. On this beautiful, wondrous truth. The Lord of heaven hears us when we cry to Him. And He answers. The God who created every star and every galaxy. The God who is greater than anything we can see and bigger than we can imagine. He hears us when we call upon His name, and far from ignoring it, He responds.
And not just to groups of people, either. The Lord who reigns over everything hears the individual crying out for His help, His deliverance, His comfort, His guidance, His hope, His strength, His salvation. He hears the one. And He answers. Because that one is greatly loved. That one was purposefully designed in the womb. That one is worth seeking out to rescue, leaving the others in safe pasture until He brings the lost home (Luke 15:4-6).
I can often forget the wonder in knowing that the Lord hears my prayers. Years of personal relationship can make the concept feel commonplace. But then He will stir my heart to remember, in moments like these.
To remember just who He is. And I shake my head in amazement that He would hear my prayers, and readily respond. That He would take the weight of my concerns. That He would keep watch and orchestrate details to ensure the fulfillment of His promises in my life. Specifically. Because I am His, and that matters. Because He greatly loves the one.
He sees you. He sees your circumstances. He knows your deepest concerns, fears, hopes. And when you call upon His name, the great and mighty God who created the heavens and the earth hears and responds to your cries.
Oh, may the Lord fill our hearts with more wonder than we can express as we contemplate this truth. A truth that is not reserved for priests or those who appear to have special status, but for each one of us who trusts in Jesus Christ for salvation. For it was His sacrifice that tore the temple veil in two, bridging the gap forever so that you and I can approach the Most High and Holy God without the need for a mediator.
He hears us. He hears you. The one, worth seeking out and worth saving.
“O LORD, you have searched me and known me!
You know when I sit down and when I rise up;
you discern my thoughts from afar.
You search out my path and my lying down
and are acquainted with all my ways.
Even before a word is on my tongue,
behold, O LORD, you know it altogether.
You hem me in, behind and before,
and lay your hand upon me.
Such knowledge is too wonderful for me;
it is high; I cannot attain it.
Where shall I go from your Spirit?
Or where shall I flee from your presence?
If I ascend to heaven, you are there!
If I make my bed in Sheol, you are there!
If I take the wings of the morning
and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea,
even there your hand shall lead me,
and your right hand shall hold me.
If I say, ‘Surely the darkness shall cover me,
and the light about me be night,’
even the darkness is not dark to you;
the night is bright as the day,
for darkness is as light with you.
For you formed my inward parts;
you knitted me together in my mother’s womb.
I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made.
Wonderful are your works;
my soul knows it very well.
My frame was not hidden from you,
when I was being made in secret,
intricately woven in the depths of the earth.
Your eyes saw my unformed substance;
in your book were written, every one of them,
the days that were formed for me,
when as yet there was none of them.
How precious to me are your thoughts, O God!
How vast is the sum of them!
If I would count them, they are more than the sand.
I awake, and I am still with you…
Search me, O God, and know my heart!
Try me and know my thoughts!
And see if there be any grievous way in me,
and lead me in the way everlasting!”
Psalm 139:1-18, 23-24
In Pleasant Places 