Narrative Lectionary Key Verse for Today
“Hear my prayer, O Lord; let my cry come to you.”
NL Daily Devotion for Friday, June 18, 2021
by R. M. Fergus, Clergy Stuff
Sometimes you just need to vent. My daughter in her late teen years used to get so irritated with me when I would try to fix her every time she came to me with her high school misery. I’m sure it’s because I was uncomfortable with her unhappiness and wanted to make it go away, even though I was (and am) entirely powerless to do so. She would say to me, “I just need you to listen to me and say, ‘That sucks.’” I’m happy to say that I got better at this. And oddly enough (or not) when I did this, it actually helped her, and her unhappiness diminished when I didn’t try to make a big production out of it.
Granted, the psalmist is asking for God to take action and fix the problem. But in this very first verse, I just hear my daughter so clearly. “Hey, God! Are you listening? I just need to vent. Everything is terrible.” I find myself praying this prayer (more or less) when I’m out of sorts, and just knowing God is there listening actually makes me feel better. Listening is powerful.
Am I a good listener? Why or why not?