August 18th, 2026
Good morning, church family!
This is so hard to admit. I have refused to acknowledge it for some time. But when it becomes more obvious, denial becomes harder! While I admit this is happening to me, I find joy and comfort in knowing this will never be true of our God.
I admit my hearing isn’t as sharp as it was. I find myself asking people to repeat things more than ever. This is especially true for Angela. Most times she calmly repeats what she said. Other times it is repeated after a sigh or an eye roll. I’m sure it is because I don’t hear as well and not because I wasn’t paying attention!
King David started his prayer, “To you I call, O Lord my Rock; do not turn a deaf ear to me” (Ps. 28:1a). Like each of us, the Psalmist struggled through times when heaven seemed to pay no attention. Let’s be honest, those are awful times. Spurgeon wrote as believers, we “dread even a little of God’s silence.” It shakes us to the core, and we are left to make sense of what we interpret as a silent rejection.
David then voiced his fear: “For if you remain silent, I will be like those who have gone down to the pit” (v. 1b). David knew if God was indeed silent, if the doors of heaven were shut, he would be no better off than one whose life had already ended. Gratefully, this state of hopelessness was not the conclusion of David’s prayer.
“Hear my prayer for mercy, as I call to you for help, as I lift up my hands toward your Most Holy Place” (v. 2). David didn’t respond to what he thought was heaven’s silence with silence of his own. Instead of giving up on prayer, David doubled down. He prayed and called out for mercy. He adopted a Hebrew posture of worship, surrender and receptivity as noted in the lifting of his hands toward God.
“When God seems to close his ears, we must not therefore close our mouths but rather cry with even more earnestness” (Spurgeon). It would be easy to respond with silence of our own, to give up and walk away from God. That is when discipline is demanded of us. That is why we continue crying out to God, not giving up (cf. Luke 18:1).
And the breakthrough did come. “Praise be to the Lord, for he has heard my cry for mercy. The Lord is my strength and my shield; my heart trusts in him, and I am helped” (vv. 6-7). Even in the midst of his questions, David knew God had heard him. He knew God as the source of his strength and his protector. He knew where to posit his trust – in the God who will never become hard of hearing!
It is true – I don’t hear as well as I once did. It is also true – God hears as well as he ever did! Delayed answers don’t mean God has become deaf. It means we have to keep trusting and praying, with no concern for sighs and eye rolls. Hallelujah!
Blessings,
Pastor David
This is so hard to admit. I have refused to acknowledge it for some time. But when it becomes more obvious, denial becomes harder! While I admit this is happening to me, I find joy and comfort in knowing this will never be true of our God.
I admit my hearing isn’t as sharp as it was. I find myself asking people to repeat things more than ever. This is especially true for Angela. Most times she calmly repeats what she said. Other times it is repeated after a sigh or an eye roll. I’m sure it is because I don’t hear as well and not because I wasn’t paying attention!
King David started his prayer, “To you I call, O Lord my Rock; do not turn a deaf ear to me” (Ps. 28:1a). Like each of us, the Psalmist struggled through times when heaven seemed to pay no attention. Let’s be honest, those are awful times. Spurgeon wrote as believers, we “dread even a little of God’s silence.” It shakes us to the core, and we are left to make sense of what we interpret as a silent rejection.
David then voiced his fear: “For if you remain silent, I will be like those who have gone down to the pit” (v. 1b). David knew if God was indeed silent, if the doors of heaven were shut, he would be no better off than one whose life had already ended. Gratefully, this state of hopelessness was not the conclusion of David’s prayer.
“Hear my prayer for mercy, as I call to you for help, as I lift up my hands toward your Most Holy Place” (v. 2). David didn’t respond to what he thought was heaven’s silence with silence of his own. Instead of giving up on prayer, David doubled down. He prayed and called out for mercy. He adopted a Hebrew posture of worship, surrender and receptivity as noted in the lifting of his hands toward God.
“When God seems to close his ears, we must not therefore close our mouths but rather cry with even more earnestness” (Spurgeon). It would be easy to respond with silence of our own, to give up and walk away from God. That is when discipline is demanded of us. That is why we continue crying out to God, not giving up (cf. Luke 18:1).
And the breakthrough did come. “Praise be to the Lord, for he has heard my cry for mercy. The Lord is my strength and my shield; my heart trusts in him, and I am helped” (vv. 6-7). Even in the midst of his questions, David knew God had heard him. He knew God as the source of his strength and his protector. He knew where to posit his trust – in the God who will never become hard of hearing!
It is true – I don’t hear as well as I once did. It is also true – God hears as well as he ever did! Delayed answers don’t mean God has become deaf. It means we have to keep trusting and praying, with no concern for sighs and eye rolls. Hallelujah!
Blessings,
Pastor David
Recent
Archive
2026
January
February
April
June
2025
October
2024
2023
January
February
March
April
August
September
December
No Comments