April 2023
Nougat 2
Recently, I visited with a new mother. It was interesting to see my own senses being on ‘alert’ for the baby’s movements and cry. I was ready for anything. Except I was online!
Thankfully, mum and baby were together, so the baby was in a secure place. Today’s Holy Nougat
“The humble will see their God at work and be glad. Let all who seek God’s help be encouraged. For the Lord hears the cries of the needy; he does not despise his imprisoned people.” Psalms 69:32-33 NLT
Unlike me, who heard the baby’s cry and couldn’t move, but much like the new mother with whom I spoke, God’s able to hear and respond to our needs. However, God is attuned to every single one of us! Wow! That’s 8,000,000 individual cries, each seeking and finding a listener Who is qualified to provide for their needs. And somewhere amid all those cries are our own.
Given those statistics, we can be forgiven if we get concerned about whether God hears us. Jesus’ self-descriptive metaphor as a shepherd, moreover as The Good Shepherd (see John 10:1-10), provides us with the point of reference for hope. For it is believed that shepherds and herdsmen in general MUST be aware of each animal under their jurisdiction if they desire to keep the flock in tact. We know that God was present at our conception and rejoiced at our coming to term, so there’s no doubt that God knows us by nature and name. Thus, we ought to be able to accept that God’s got us covered, especially since we’ve strengthened our relationship with Jesus.
But what about the others – those who are not believers; does God hear their cries? I am reminded of Joshua’s encounter with the captain of the Lord’s hosts (see Joshua 5:13-14), as the angel noted he was neither friend nor foe. As Creator, even the most evil-minded person is God’s child, whether or not the child accepts God’s sovereignty. And each child is still within God’s jurisdiction, like the younger son in the parable of the Lost Sons (see Luke 15:11-20). That son was undeniably lost, imprisoned (bound by selfishness, pride, and the consequences of wastefulness), and needy. Yet, when he turned homeward, he discovered his Abba already waiting!
One can presume that the father heard the son’s cry that very moment he came to his senses (maybe even before, when we think of God as mother), resulting in the father meeting the son before he could be stoned! And that’s the nature of our God, our Abba, our Sovereign! God hears and God responds because God knows each of us! Hallelujah! What a Saviour!!!!!
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May all we seek be found in Christ