God Listens

How long do you have to talk to God? 

It's a question most of us have asked ourselves, most likely while trying to pray. Either we think we haven't talked long enough, that our prayer needs to have more words to it, so we go on rambling until we have more than run out of meaningful things to say...and then chastise ourselves for saying so many non-meaningful things...or we think we've talked too long and God stopped listening a long time ago, judging us for our inability to just get to the point. 

God is busy. He's got a lot of folks to listen to and take care of. He probably doesn't have time to listen to us ramble, but nor does He really want us to just ask too bluntly and not develop the relationship that He desires with us. 

It's complicated, really. 

But only in our human brains. 

For God, the issue is far easier - He loves you, and He's going to listen to every word you say. He's going to listen to you talk, even when you fumble around the words. He's going to listen until you're done, even when He already knows the answer. He's going to listen because that's what love does. That's how relationship works. 

I love the story of the disciples on the Road to Emmaus. If you remember this scene in Luke 24, Jesus has been crucified. It's been three days and the tomb is empty, but nobody can really find Him. The disciples are stunned, scattered. They don't really know what to do with themselves. So a couple of them go walking away down this road; this road might lead to what used to be "home" for them. 

Jesus sneaks up and starts walking with them, asking them questions about why they look so sad and where they are going and what they're going to do now. He pretends to not know much of anything. 

And then He listens as they tell Him His own story. 

They start recounting the things that have just happened. They start by talking about how great this Jesus was, how it seemed so promising that He might actually be the one, but then He got betrayed and the Romans got hold of Him and they crucified Him and now, His body was even missing and nobody really knew what to do. And they just tell this whole story like this guy has to be totally crazy to not know any of it. 

And there's Jesus, knowing all of it, but listening anyway. Listening carefully. Asking questions. Totally engaged. Listening all the way to the end. 

You can almost picture Him, as the disciples get near the end of their story, pausing for a second, creating a silence that causes them to turn and really look at Him, then giving and wink and saying, "I know, right?" 

And BAM - there it is. They recognize Him. All of a sudden, they know who it is that has joined them on this road. 

It's the One who has always listened to them, and listened well. 

It's the One who listens to us just the same, who still listens well. Whether we're confident in our words or not. Whether we use many or few. Whether we know what we're asking or don't. Jesus is right here on this road with us, listening anyway, fully engaged, all the way to the end, even when He already knows the answer. 

Then, He just gives us a wink....