Listen

Make your servant’s life happy again because, my Lord, I offer my life to you, because, my Lord, you are good and forgiving, full of faithful love for all those who cry out to you. Listen closely to my prayer, Lord; pay close attention to the sound of my requests for mercy. Whenever I am in trouble, I cry out to you, because you will answer me.

Psalm 86:4-7

Think

In desperate situations, we want immediate answers. You have probably felt time seeming to slow down as you await the outcome of medical tests, immigration statuses, college acceptances. In that period of waiting, we can feel a sense of dread and helplessness, like no one is listening.

In Psalm 86, David was undergoing a very difficult time in his life and desperately sought refuge in God. He was afraid and he offered his life to God. He pleaded for God to hear his prayers. In the midst of his crying out, he knew that God is full of love and faithful to those who cry out to God. David shows us that in those moments we feel helpless, we can be still and trust that the presence of God is listening with love, even when we don’t see an immediate answer to our prayer.

Jon Chacko

Pray

Creator God, help me to be still and trust in you, even when I feel helpless. Amen.

Go

God, let my seeing and hearing, my words and my actions be rooted like a strong tree in a silent certainty of your presence. Amen.

Adapted from a Celtic benediction by J. Phillip Newell.