Psalm 66:16-20 
Come and listen, all you who fear God, 
and I will tell you what he did for me. 
For I cried out to him for help, 
praising him as I spoke. 
If I had not confessed the sin in my heart, 
the Lord would not have listened. 
But God did listen! 
He paid attention to my prayer. 
Praise God, who did not ignore my prayer 
or withdraw his unfailing love from me. (NLT)

All believers, come here and listen, 
let me tell you what God did for me. 
I called out to him with my mouth, 
my tongue shaped the sounds of music. 
If I had been cozy with evil, 
the Lord would never have listened. 
But he most surely did listen, 
he came on the double when he heard my prayer. 
Blessed be God: he didn’t turn a deaf ear, 
he stayed with me, loyal in his love. (The Message)

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The arrangement of these words forming this prayer, which is as singable as it is sayable, is well over two thousand years old. One man’s prayer to God has been preserved for us so that we can learn how to pray to our Father in Heaven.

This unnamed song singer tells his story which has become many multiplied stories across the course of history leading right to our doorstep today. 

Take up his testimonial style. Tell your God-story so that others may learn how good God is, and so that they may learn how to declare his goodness so that the lives of others can share in God’s rich grace and abundant mercy.

Finish with a flourish like the poet of old who said, 

“Blessed be God: he didn’t turn a deaf ear, 
he stayed with me, loyal in his love.”

God listens even when it sounds like our words get lost in the wind, even when they echo back off the hard surfaces of empty rooms, even when drowned out by the cacophonous carrying-on of those who couldn’t care less about our concerns.

God doesn’t refuse to hear with a deaf ear. He doesn’t refuse to save due to a weak arm. He doesn’t withhold his healing and providing hands when he hears us pray. Instead, he remains with us just as he invites us to remain with him. (See John 15.) His love is perfectly loyal.

What’s your God-story? 

What’s your God-song? 

Who will learn to pray and praise because of your testimony from these crazy days?

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I will write down what God is doing for me and in me, and hopefully, through me so that many may learn joyful praise and confident prayer. 

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Our Father, your perfect love is just what I need. Your loyal love never fails. You hear my prayers, you never leave me nor forsake me, and you seek my highest and best. You give me more reasons for praise than songs I can sing. How good and kind you are! Amen.