God is bending down and leaning in.

(photo credit: stltoday.com)

"Lord, hear my prayer! Listen to my plea! Don’t turn away from me in my time of distress. Bend down to listen, and answer me quickly when I call to you." (Psalm 102:1-2, New Living Translation)

At least 6 times in the Psalms, God is asked to "incline" His ear, or as this translation says, "bend down to listen."

I spent the past 5 days at a re:Focus retreat with friends who have been sharing a two year journey of discipleship. During one of our sessions, we focused on one of these Psalms. My friend, David Bowman, talked about how he envisioned God "leaning in" to listen to His children. I like that. A lot.

When we were small children, all grownups looked gigantic to us. I try to remember that now when I am around small children. Often, I will get down on one knee when I am talking with a small child. That way, I am able to be at the child's eye level and let him know he has my attention. (Of course, getting up is harder now, but there is also the added benefit that, with my diminished hearing capacity, I might actually understand what the child is saying. At that point, the whole "God bending down" analogy breaks down)

When you experience life's hurts, frustrations, and disappointments, can you envision God "bending down and leaning in" to hear your cries?

Question: What would it take for you to see God that way?

Leave a comment below.  I'd love to hear your perspective.