When Heaven Bends Down

“I love Yahweh, because He hears My voice and my supplications.”

Psalm 116:1

Everyone wants to be heard. Spouses want to know that when they are sharing with their husband or wife, they are intently listening. Children, when they are talking to their parents, want to know that mommy and daddy care about what they have to say. The elderly want their children to listen and not ignore them when they come to visit. All of us at one time or another have failed to listen to those we love.

Love often grows out of being truly heard. When someone listens to us with care, our hearts are drawn closer to them. The psalmist declares his love for the Lord for this very reason: God hears. He is not a distant, uncaring God, unmoved by our cries. He bends down, inclines His ear, and receives every whisper, every groan, every wordless prayer.

The psalmist does not begin with duty, ritual, or obligation; he starts with love. That love flows from a deeply personal experience: God heard him. The verse is not simply about answered prayer, but about a God who leans in, who inclines His ear to His children. Notice the intimacy: my voice and my supplications. God doesn’t just hear prayers in general; He hears your voice. Your cry does not get lost in the noise of the world. The infinite, all-powerful Creator bends low to receive the words of your heart.

This is the beauty of prayer. It is not merely a religious act; it is a relationship. Every whispered request, every broken plea, every joyful word of thanksgiving is precious to Him. And the natural response to such divine attentiveness is love. The psalmist’s love is not abstract; it is tethered to real experience. “I love the LORD, because…” Love grows deeper when we remember the specific ways God has met us in our need.

Your shepherd,

Pastor Mark