Psalm 143

Have you ever been to a whispering gallery? There’s a famous one in the U.S. Capitol Building in Washington, D.C. There’s one in the Museum of Science and Industry in Chicago. I’m sure there are many others around the world. A whispering gallery is a room built in such a way that you can stand at one end and hear another person who is only whispering, even though they are standing far away from you.

I thought of that when I read this part of today’s psalm: “LORD, hear my prayer, listen to my cry for mercy.” (vs 1) If we, with our limited mental capacity, can acoustically construct a room so we can hear something we shouldn’t be able to hear (given the distance), do you doubt that this world is—to our infinite God—a whispering gallery? There is no doubt in my mind that He hears every prayer, every cry, every sob, every breathless sigh. He knows us so well that He even perceives our thoughts—hears all those things left unsaid.

In so many ways, this world we live in is awful and dark. Recently, events that have shaken our world to the core threaten to break the faith of even the strongest heart. Sometimes, there seems to be no end to sickness and suffering. In addition, this world can be pretty isolating. It’s often easy to feel all alone, like it’s just us against the world.

Therefore, I think it is well worth remembering that there is never a time when God doesn’t hear us. We are never alone in our sorrow or suffering. We are never alone in our regret and repentance. We are also never alone in our joy and excitement. God knows about it all.

Whenever you cry or laugh, whatever you say or scream, God hears you.