The God who Leans Forward to Listen
NAU Psalm 17:6 “I have called upon You, for You will answer me, O God; Incline Your ear to me, hear my speech.” (Psalm 17:6, The New American Standard Bible, 1995).
This is one of the most audacious ways of addressing God that anyone could possibly imagine.
It is a command to God to listen to the suffering, praying person. The verbs “incline” and “hear” are in the imperative. The psalmist is commanding the God of the universe to listen!
Does this strike anyone besides me as being strange, inappropriate—even blasphemous?
And yet, there it is: a mortal creature made of skin and bones, ultimately made from dust, and destined for dust, telling the Creator of the Universe to listen.
But perhaps genuine prayer always verges on blasphemy.
I am especially struck by the command to God to lean (“incline”) His ear to this petitioner. Is God perhaps going deaf? After all, he is called “the Ancient of Days” in Daniel 7:13! Perhaps God is too old to hear prayers unless he leans forward?
However, I suspect that there are other reasons why a person might lean forward to listen.
A person leans forward when someone is speaking in order to show the speaker that the listener is really interested and listening deeply. Just as a lover leans forward to hear something his beloved is saying, just as a good friend leans into what we are saying, so it is with God. Strange as it may sound, God actually likes to listen to us.
Perhaps a person leans forward when the speaker’s voice is faint. And let’s face it: Sometimes our voices are in fact faint. At such times, we can (and probably should), picture God leaning forward to listen to our desperate whisper.
Sometimes an adult leans forward to listen to a child. We all become little children in certain situations. When we feel that we are surrounded by enemies (Psalm 17:9), we may pray like little children, running to their momma or daddy. And like the good father that God is, He bends down to listen to us.
It is a hauntingly bold metaphor, isn’t it? A God who leans forward to listen, and a praying person who is allowed to command God to do just that! When was the last time I commanded God to lean forward? Perhaps now would be a good time.
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