God Who Listens: A 7-Day Devotional With Chris TomlinSample

The God Who Listens

“Then you will call on me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart.” 

Jeremiah 29:12-13 (NIV)

I grew up in Texas loving two things—baseball and country music. That was my whole world. So I naturally figured when I grew up, I’d either be a baseball player or a country music singer.

When my dad gave me a guitar as a young kid, country music started edging out my MLB dreams. But God clearly had other plans. He took an ordinary boy from Texas and helped me give people words to sing to God. He’s answered a lot of my prayers.

It’s hard for me to imagine that the same God who placed the stars in the sky and created you and me also hears our prayers. It’s crazy, but it’s true. He hears every word we pray. God is not just some kind of cosmic Creator who sits somewhere in the clouds waiting for us to mess up. He’s a kind, loving Father who wants to talk to us on a regular basis.

He’s not a God who stands at a distance. He’s a God who comes close. He cares about the intimate details of your life. 

Think about your best friend. You can talk to your best friend about anything, right? You probably trust them enough to tell them your deepest fears and your biggest dreams. You can tell your best friend when you make a mistake, because you know they won’t judge you. God’s that kind of best friend. You can tell Him anything.

When I’m walking through a hard season, I’m not necessarily looking to my friends to provide all the answers. But I take a lot of comfort in their presence. Sometimes what I need more than anything is for them to just sit with me and listen.

That’s what God does. He stops what He’s doing so He can pay attention to what you have to say.

Your fears matter to God. Your concerns matter to God. Your dreams matter to God.

He loves you. He hears you. He is the God who listens.

I know He hears me, I know He’s livin’

Yes I am praying to a God who listens.