Psalm 18:6 says...
"In my distress I called upon the Lord; to my God I cried for help. From his temple he heard my voice, and my cry to him reached his ears."
Have you ever wondered whether God is really there, listening to our call? And is he interested in answering our questions when there are so many more pressing things that he would be concerned about? To be honest, I had my doubts, and I know that I can speak for the majority of us when I say that I needed to see evidence of this taking shape in my life. My life had been in a tail spin until this point, and my heart was still in a broken state. I was seeking and knocking loudly, and in the quiet of a mountain church retreat, something happened that I will never forget.
The men's retreat took place in a picturesque place called Fraser, Colorado. We were instructed to find a peaceful spot outside of camp where we could have time with God while meditating on that morning's teaching. I chose a tree stump overlooking a beautiful mountain scene that literally took my breath away. I wanted desperately for an answer to these questions, and I asked them aloud:
"Do you truly listen when we call you God?"
"Do you speak to us through the words in this Bible that I am holding?"
"Are you truly with me when I need you most?"
The teaching was focused on Psalm 148, and the praise of the name of the Lord for all of his creation. As I was reading the scripture...
"Praise the Lord from the earth,
you great sea creatures and all ocean depths,
lightning and hail, snow and clouds,
stormy winds that do his bidding,
you mountains and all hills,
fruit trees and all cedars,
wild animals and all cattle,
small creatures and flying birds..."
...I heard a sound. As I looked up, I saw two large deer running toward me. They came to within six feet of where I was sitting before they disappeared through another patch of trees and were gone! I was so overcome with feelings of being heard, known and loved by Him in that moment that I dropped my Bible and stared at the dust cloud made by the deer in the distance, trying to process what had just happened. But God wasn't done answering my questions. After another minute had passed, I looked up as an eagle flew over my head with the sound of his wings flapping in the calm of the morning breeze. Did these things really happen?! I asked myself. A smile came over me, and a peace filled my soul that very day.
I had never had your word speak to me like this before. I believe that you were reassuring me that morning God, as you do with all of your children. Letting us know that in times of trouble, sorrow and pain, we can lean on Him and He will carry us through the storm. On his mighty wings. He hears your call. And he speaks in a way that grabs our attention, in order to reinforce that he is with us in the good times and the bad.
CS Lewis wrote:
“Pain insists upon being attended to. God whispers to us in our pleasures, speaks in our consciences, but shouts in our pains. It is his megaphone to rouse a deaf world.”
and God has said,
“Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you.”