Pastor Cal Lord's Recent Sermons
Is Anybody Listening?
Psalms 54:1-2 September 23, 2006
Dr. James Dobson has done some very important work in the areas of family relationships and
the raising of children. Years ago, he put out a series of videos about raising children. At one
point he talks about the need for a parent to get a child’s attention so that the child is able to
clearly understand instructions and expectations. He said that sometimes parents are just not clear
about what they expect their children to do or about the consequences of misbehavior.
Dr. Dobson talked about an incident with his own son, who was then in elementary school.
There was an incident when his son was misbehaving, so Dobson took him aside and sat down
with him. He very calmly and deliberately said, “Now I want your attention. I want you to look at
me. I need you to listen to me very carefully. Are you looking at me? Are you listening to me?”
When he was sure he had his son’s undivided attention, he could then give him instructions and
lay out for him the expectations for his behavior.
But you know, it is not always children who need to listen to adults. Sometimes adults don’t
always listen to children. One day when my oldest daughter Becky was in nursery school, she
was trying to tell me something. I was busy doing something else and not really paying attention
to her. She came up in front of me, grabbed my face between both hands, and said, “DAD, I
need you to listen to me.”
The truth is that we all want to be noticed, to be listened to, to have people pay attention to us.
And as hard as it is when friends and neighbors ignore us, it is even harder when we believe that
God is not listening or paying attention. Honestly, there are times when it feels like that.
People will often come to me and tell me things about their feelings: They are lonely, lost, afraid,
confused, angry, exhausted, or grief-stricken. So many times I have encouraged them to read,
meditate, and pray the Psalms. Many of the the Psalms were written by David, who has been
called a man after God’s heart. Others were written by real people. They all deal with real
problems: people who had enemies, people who had made terrible mistakes and committed sins
too numerous to mention, people who were in the depths of illness or despair, people who had
lost sight of God in their lives, people who didn’t know how they were going to face the next
day. People like many of us.
The Psalm writers wanted God to hear their plight, wanted God to listen, and wanted God to pay
attention. Just listen to these lines;
• Give ear to my words, O Lord…5:1
• Hear, O Lord, my righteous plea; listen to my cry. Give ear to my prayer…17:1
• Listen to my prayer, O God…55:1
• Hear my cry, O God; listen to my prayer…61:1
• Hear me, O God, as I voice my complaint…64:1
• Hear us, Shepherd of Israel…80:1
• Hear my prayer, O Lord God Almighty; listen to me, O God of Jacob…84:8
• O God, whom I praise, do not remain silent…109:1
At other times they concluded that God is listening but is ignoring our needs. Listen to these
words;
• How long, O Lord? Will you forget me forever? How long will you hide your face from me?...
13:1
• My God, my God, why have you forsaken me? Why are you so far from saving me, so far
from the words of my groaning? O my God, I cry out by day, but you do not answer, by night
and am not silent…(22:1-2
• Lord, do not forsake me; be not far from me, O my God…38:21
The words go up like a big red flag. Can you hear me now? How many times have we wondered
if anybody cares what we are going through?
* Our hearts ache because our child will not listen to us and he or she seems to be drifting
farther and farther away from us.
* We are so discouraged because our job is killing us with its tedium and we feel like our whole
life is a waste. We wonder what life is all about.
* We got the news from the doctor and it has turned our world upside down. We don’t want to
say it because we want to be brave, but the words “Why me?” are on our lips.
* We feel like we are barely keeping our heads above water. It has been one thing after another
and we are tempted to just throw our hands up and go down. What’s the point?
* We feel so alone. No one understands what we are going through. We look up and there’s
nobody there.
Is anybody listening? Anybody care? There was an old Christian folk song that began with those
words. They arose out of the same sense of desperation that David felt when he spoke the words
of Psalm 54.
In this Psalm he raises the question and then goes on to affirm that God is faithful and good and
does hear our cries. Look at it again. He begins by calling on God to save him. He asks God to
hear and answer his prayer for vindication. He points out that he has enemies all around him,
enemies who care nothing about God and do not respect his faith. Then he makes the
supposition that God will help him and that his enemies will back off as God deals with them. He
finishes his psalm by looking ahead, by predicting the future. He sees God vanquishing his foes
and him offering God his praise.
I want to tell you that this is a healthy example of prayer. It is venting and then looking beyond
the trouble to envision God’s help. It is affirming and believing that God is listening and that he
will come to your aide. For the truth is that God does hear your prayers. He is faithful and good.
Time after time the scriptures tell us this.
Just look at Jesus. Every time you see him ,you can tell his ears are attuned to the people all
around him.
• A leper came to him one day saying, “Lord, if you are willing, you can make me clean”
(Matthew 8:2).
• A religious leader came to him one day and said, “My daughter has just died. But come and put
your hand on her, and she will live” (Matthew 9:18).
• Two blind men called to him from the side of the road. “Have mercy on us, Son of David”
(Matthew 9:27).
• As the disciples were by themselves in a boat one night, they saw Jesus come walking to them
on the water. Peter called out, “…tell me to come to you on the water” (Matthew 14:28).
• A Canaanite woman cried out to him, “Lord, Son of David, have mercy on me!” (Matthew 15:
22).
There never is an instance in the gospels when Jesus did not respond to people in need when
they made themselves heard. Whether they needed physical healing or forgiveness for their sins,
he always heard and was ready to act. When people asked for signs of his power, he provided
what was needed.
Secondly, he always heard the professions of faith of those who believed.
• When he raised Lazarus from the dead, he heard Lazarus’ sister Martha confess, “Yes
Lord, I believe that you are the Christ, the Son of God, the one who is coming into the world.”
• When he asked the disciples what people were saying about him, they said some thought
he was Elijah, John the Baptist, or one of the prophets. “But who do you say that I am?” he
asked. And then he heard the confession of faith from Peter, “You are the Christ, the Son of
God.”
• On the day we know now as Palm Sunday, he rode down the Mount of Olives and into the
city of Jerusalem, hearing the proclamations of the crowds, “Hosanna! Blessed is he who comes
in the name of the Lord. Hosanna in the highest.”
Though there were many in that day who did not believe him, did not follow him, and did not
understand him; yet there were many who believed. When they confessed their faith Jesus
offered them eternal life.
Thirdly, Jesus heard their questions.
* The disciples of John the Baptist came to him one day to ask: “Are you the one who was to
come, or should we expect someone else?” (Matthew 11:3).
* Simon Peter was confused one day and asked, “Explain the parable to us” (Matthew 15:15).
* Faced with a huge, hungry crowd, the disciples asked: “Where could we get enough bread in
this remote place to feed such a crowd?” (Matthew 15:33).
* Another time, unable to understand how Jesus had the power to drive away demons, the
disciples asked: “Why couldn’t we drive it out?” (Mark 9:28).
Jesus heard the questions, and then took the time to answer them. He came to earth as Savior of
humanity, but wrapped up in that was his role as teacher. As any good teacher takes questions
seriously, so did Jesus. Sometimes the questions were asked out of spite or in order to trap him.
Sometimes the questions were asked out of ignorance. Sometimes they were genuine questions,
searching for answers by which one might be drawn closer to God. Whatever the question,
Jesus heard and took the time to answer.
Fourth, his heard the voices of opposition. It seems as though wherever he went, he heard the
voices of those who refused to believe, who would not listen to him, who would not open
themselves up to the new and fresh winds of the Spirit.
* They tried to throw him off a cliff in Nazareth as a response to his preaching (Luke 4:29).
* The Pharisees opposed him when they saw that his disciples plucked grain on the Sabbath, not
understanding that he was Lord of the Sabbath (Luke 6:5).
* The same people who said that John the Baptist must have a demon because he didn’t eat bread
or drink wine, called Jesus a glutton and a drunkard (Luke 7:34).
* As he was driving out a demon, he heard the charge that he must be in league with the devil
(Luke 11:15).
* The chief priests tried to have him arrested because they understood that he had come to give
new meaning to the Temple; a new meaning that didn’t include them.
Jesus heard the opposition, but did not allow it to deter him from his ministry. He heard the
opposition but knew that the power of God is stronger than any opposing force assembled by
human beings. He heard the opposition and grieved over it when he prayed, “O Jerusalem,
Jerusalem, you who kill the prophets and stone those sent to you, how often I have longed
together your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, but you were not
willing (Matthew 23:37).
Finally Jesus also felt the silence of God. Have you ever felt abandoned, as if God has not heard
your prayers, as if God has heard your prayers, or doesn’t care? Jesus had that moment. There
on the cross, in the agony of that day, he needed to hear a word from God, but was met with the
silence of the heavens. He cried out, “My God, my God, why have your forsaken me? (Mark 33:
34).
Despite our occasional willingness to believe otherwise, God’s ears are tuned to us. He hears our
cries of trouble, our questions, our fears and longings. He knows what it is like to feel alone and
abandoned. He knows what it is like to be misunderstood.
Through him, we learn that there is no opposition that is greater than the power of God to save.
There are no questions that cannot be finally answered by Christ. Even though God sometimes
seems to be silent, we are never discarded, forsaken, or neglected.
This morning I want to invite you into a time of prayer and assurance.
Psalms 54:1-2 September 23, 2006
Dr. James Dobson has done some very important work in the areas of family relationships and
the raising of children. Years ago, he put out a series of videos about raising children. At one
point he talks about the need for a parent to get a child’s attention so that the child is able to
clearly understand instructions and expectations. He said that sometimes parents are just not clear
about what they expect their children to do or about the consequences of misbehavior.
Dr. Dobson talked about an incident with his own son, who was then in elementary school.
There was an incident when his son was misbehaving, so Dobson took him aside and sat down
with him. He very calmly and deliberately said, “Now I want your attention. I want you to look at
me. I need you to listen to me very carefully. Are you looking at me? Are you listening to me?”
When he was sure he had his son’s undivided attention, he could then give him instructions and
lay out for him the expectations for his behavior.
But you know, it is not always children who need to listen to adults. Sometimes adults don’t
always listen to children. One day when my oldest daughter Becky was in nursery school, she
was trying to tell me something. I was busy doing something else and not really paying attention
to her. She came up in front of me, grabbed my face between both hands, and said, “DAD, I
need you to listen to me.”
The truth is that we all want to be noticed, to be listened to, to have people pay attention to us.
And as hard as it is when friends and neighbors ignore us, it is even harder when we believe that
God is not listening or paying attention. Honestly, there are times when it feels like that.
People will often come to me and tell me things about their feelings: They are lonely, lost, afraid,
confused, angry, exhausted, or grief-stricken. So many times I have encouraged them to read,
meditate, and pray the Psalms. Many of the the Psalms were written by David, who has been
called a man after God’s heart. Others were written by real people. They all deal with real
problems: people who had enemies, people who had made terrible mistakes and committed sins
too numerous to mention, people who were in the depths of illness or despair, people who had
lost sight of God in their lives, people who didn’t know how they were going to face the next
day. People like many of us.
The Psalm writers wanted God to hear their plight, wanted God to listen, and wanted God to pay
attention. Just listen to these lines;
• Give ear to my words, O Lord…5:1
• Hear, O Lord, my righteous plea; listen to my cry. Give ear to my prayer…17:1
• Listen to my prayer, O God…55:1
• Hear my cry, O God; listen to my prayer…61:1
• Hear me, O God, as I voice my complaint…64:1
• Hear us, Shepherd of Israel…80:1
• Hear my prayer, O Lord God Almighty; listen to me, O God of Jacob…84:8
• O God, whom I praise, do not remain silent…109:1
At other times they concluded that God is listening but is ignoring our needs. Listen to these
words;
• How long, O Lord? Will you forget me forever? How long will you hide your face from me?...
13:1
• My God, my God, why have you forsaken me? Why are you so far from saving me, so far
from the words of my groaning? O my God, I cry out by day, but you do not answer, by night
and am not silent…(22:1-2
• Lord, do not forsake me; be not far from me, O my God…38:21
The words go up like a big red flag. Can you hear me now? How many times have we wondered
if anybody cares what we are going through?
* Our hearts ache because our child will not listen to us and he or she seems to be drifting
farther and farther away from us.
* We are so discouraged because our job is killing us with its tedium and we feel like our whole
life is a waste. We wonder what life is all about.
* We got the news from the doctor and it has turned our world upside down. We don’t want to
say it because we want to be brave, but the words “Why me?” are on our lips.
* We feel like we are barely keeping our heads above water. It has been one thing after another
and we are tempted to just throw our hands up and go down. What’s the point?
* We feel so alone. No one understands what we are going through. We look up and there’s
nobody there.
Is anybody listening? Anybody care? There was an old Christian folk song that began with those
words. They arose out of the same sense of desperation that David felt when he spoke the words
of Psalm 54.
In this Psalm he raises the question and then goes on to affirm that God is faithful and good and
does hear our cries. Look at it again. He begins by calling on God to save him. He asks God to
hear and answer his prayer for vindication. He points out that he has enemies all around him,
enemies who care nothing about God and do not respect his faith. Then he makes the
supposition that God will help him and that his enemies will back off as God deals with them. He
finishes his psalm by looking ahead, by predicting the future. He sees God vanquishing his foes
and him offering God his praise.
I want to tell you that this is a healthy example of prayer. It is venting and then looking beyond
the trouble to envision God’s help. It is affirming and believing that God is listening and that he
will come to your aide. For the truth is that God does hear your prayers. He is faithful and good.
Time after time the scriptures tell us this.
Just look at Jesus. Every time you see him ,you can tell his ears are attuned to the people all
around him.
• A leper came to him one day saying, “Lord, if you are willing, you can make me clean”
(Matthew 8:2).
• A religious leader came to him one day and said, “My daughter has just died. But come and put
your hand on her, and she will live” (Matthew 9:18).
• Two blind men called to him from the side of the road. “Have mercy on us, Son of David”
(Matthew 9:27).
• As the disciples were by themselves in a boat one night, they saw Jesus come walking to them
on the water. Peter called out, “…tell me to come to you on the water” (Matthew 14:28).
• A Canaanite woman cried out to him, “Lord, Son of David, have mercy on me!” (Matthew 15:
22).
There never is an instance in the gospels when Jesus did not respond to people in need when
they made themselves heard. Whether they needed physical healing or forgiveness for their sins,
he always heard and was ready to act. When people asked for signs of his power, he provided
what was needed.
Secondly, he always heard the professions of faith of those who believed.
• When he raised Lazarus from the dead, he heard Lazarus’ sister Martha confess, “Yes
Lord, I believe that you are the Christ, the Son of God, the one who is coming into the world.”
• When he asked the disciples what people were saying about him, they said some thought
he was Elijah, John the Baptist, or one of the prophets. “But who do you say that I am?” he
asked. And then he heard the confession of faith from Peter, “You are the Christ, the Son of
God.”
• On the day we know now as Palm Sunday, he rode down the Mount of Olives and into the
city of Jerusalem, hearing the proclamations of the crowds, “Hosanna! Blessed is he who comes
in the name of the Lord. Hosanna in the highest.”
Though there were many in that day who did not believe him, did not follow him, and did not
understand him; yet there were many who believed. When they confessed their faith Jesus
offered them eternal life.
Thirdly, Jesus heard their questions.
* The disciples of John the Baptist came to him one day to ask: “Are you the one who was to
come, or should we expect someone else?” (Matthew 11:3).
* Simon Peter was confused one day and asked, “Explain the parable to us” (Matthew 15:15).
* Faced with a huge, hungry crowd, the disciples asked: “Where could we get enough bread in
this remote place to feed such a crowd?” (Matthew 15:33).
* Another time, unable to understand how Jesus had the power to drive away demons, the
disciples asked: “Why couldn’t we drive it out?” (Mark 9:28).
Jesus heard the questions, and then took the time to answer them. He came to earth as Savior of
humanity, but wrapped up in that was his role as teacher. As any good teacher takes questions
seriously, so did Jesus. Sometimes the questions were asked out of spite or in order to trap him.
Sometimes the questions were asked out of ignorance. Sometimes they were genuine questions,
searching for answers by which one might be drawn closer to God. Whatever the question,
Jesus heard and took the time to answer.
Fourth, his heard the voices of opposition. It seems as though wherever he went, he heard the
voices of those who refused to believe, who would not listen to him, who would not open
themselves up to the new and fresh winds of the Spirit.
* They tried to throw him off a cliff in Nazareth as a response to his preaching (Luke 4:29).
* The Pharisees opposed him when they saw that his disciples plucked grain on the Sabbath, not
understanding that he was Lord of the Sabbath (Luke 6:5).
* The same people who said that John the Baptist must have a demon because he didn’t eat bread
or drink wine, called Jesus a glutton and a drunkard (Luke 7:34).
* As he was driving out a demon, he heard the charge that he must be in league with the devil
(Luke 11:15).
* The chief priests tried to have him arrested because they understood that he had come to give
new meaning to the Temple; a new meaning that didn’t include them.
Jesus heard the opposition, but did not allow it to deter him from his ministry. He heard the
opposition but knew that the power of God is stronger than any opposing force assembled by
human beings. He heard the opposition and grieved over it when he prayed, “O Jerusalem,
Jerusalem, you who kill the prophets and stone those sent to you, how often I have longed
together your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, but you were not
willing (Matthew 23:37).
Finally Jesus also felt the silence of God. Have you ever felt abandoned, as if God has not heard
your prayers, as if God has heard your prayers, or doesn’t care? Jesus had that moment. There
on the cross, in the agony of that day, he needed to hear a word from God, but was met with the
silence of the heavens. He cried out, “My God, my God, why have your forsaken me? (Mark 33:
34).
Despite our occasional willingness to believe otherwise, God’s ears are tuned to us. He hears our
cries of trouble, our questions, our fears and longings. He knows what it is like to feel alone and
abandoned. He knows what it is like to be misunderstood.
Through him, we learn that there is no opposition that is greater than the power of God to save.
There are no questions that cannot be finally answered by Christ. Even though God sometimes
seems to be silent, we are never discarded, forsaken, or neglected.
This morning I want to invite you into a time of prayer and assurance.
| Welcome to the First Baptist Church of Norwich 239 West Main Street Norwich, Connecticut Phone: 860-889-0369 |
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