Attentive & Almighty

Be attentive to God and trust He is always attentive to you. Rely on the Lord and rejoice in His goodness.

“Praise be to the LORD, the God of Israel, who with his hands has fulfilled what he promised with his mouth to my father David…LORD, the God of Israel, there is no God like you in heaven or on earth—you who keep your covenant of love with your servants who continue wholeheartedly in your way. The heavens, even the highest heavens, cannot contain you. How much less this temple I have built! Yet, LORD my God, give attention to your servant’s prayer and his plea for mercy. May your eyes be open toward this temple day and night…May you hear the prayer your servant prays toward this place. Hear from heaven, your dwelling place; and when you hear, forgive….Forgive, and deal with everyone according to all they do, since you know their hearts (for you alone know the human heart), so that they will fear you and walk in obedience to you all the time they live in the land you gave our ancestors…May your priests, LORD God, be clothed with salvation, may your faithful people rejoice in your goodness.” 2 Chronicles 6:4-41

When you pray, do you expect God to answer? Are your prayers more expectations that God is attentive, or something you say out loud but have little belief they will be fulfilled? What would you pray if you knew it would be answered? Is there a limit to how many prayers God will answer?

As Solomon dedicates the temple, he repeatedly asks God to hear from Heaven and help His people stay on the right path. Solomon was no dummy. He knew that people tend to drift, get distracted, and do wrong. So as Solomon was dedicating the temple, he asked God to forgive when we fall short. Essentially, his prayer was that God would be attentive even when we go astray, knowing we would stray.

Can you imagine saying this to a friend or loved one? Who would tell someone to be extra attentive when you least deserve love? But there is wisdom in this approach. What would happen if we anticipated other people’s imperfections and stored up forgiveness for when they needed it? What if our love was not based on their performance?

The Bible says God is always faithful. He is attentive. He is near, present, and powerful. He establishes our steps and numbers our days. Solomon finished the dedication with a declaration, not an invitation. He said, clothe your priests with salvation and let the faithful rejoice in the goodness of God.

The apostle Paul said that we are a kingdom of priests. Each one of us is meant to be clothed with the joy of our salvation, ready to sing of the goodness of God. Our stories are not meant to be kept to ourselves. Salvation is a wellspring that should flow to nourish others. Grace received should produce grace given. What will people see when they see you today? What will they hear from what comes out of your mouth?

“Surely God is good to Israel, to those who are pure in heart. But as for me, my feet had almost slipped; I had nearly lost my foothold. For I envied the arrogant when I saw the prosperity of the wicked. They have no struggles; their bodies are healthy and strong. Therefore pride is their necklace; they clothe themselves with violence. From their callous hearts comes iniquity…Their mouths lay claim to heaven…When I tried to understand all this, it troubled me deeply till I entered the sanctuary of God; then I understood their final destiny. How suddenly are they destroyed…you hold me by my right hand. You guide me with your counsel, and afterward you will take me into glory. Whom have I in heaven but you? And earth has nothing I desire besides you. My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever. But as for me, it is good to be near God. I have made the Sovereign LORD my refuge; I will tell of all your deeds.” Psalms 73:1-28

The psalmist contrasts the impact of looking to God and looking at people. Can you relate to anything said in this song? Have you ever been around people whose lives seemed perfect? They were fit, fashionable, and their lives were seemingly filled with all you could want. What did you see in their hearts? Were they faithful and devoted to the Lord God Almighty?

Wealth and strength are not indicators of one’s intimacy with God. There are people whom God provides abundantly for who are generous and righteous. But there are many people whose hearts are filled with arrogance and pride in their power or possessions. This is a problem. It’s a problem for them, and it’s a problem for us. If we allow the abundance of others to affect our hearts, we can run into trouble.

Jesus invites us to choose Him above anything this world can offer. He wants us to learn to walk with Him, trust in Him, and desire to be closer to Him more than to be clothed with high-end fashion or have great fortune. Is there anything competing within your heart that is impacting your devotion to Jesus? Anything in your mind that is dividing your attention? As much as we want God’s attention, He wants our attention even more.

“All a person’s ways seem pure to them, but motives are weighed by the LORD. Commit to the LORD whatever you do, and he will establish your plans. The LORD works out everything to its proper end— even the wicked for a day of disaster. The LORD detests all the proud of heart. Be sure of this: They will not go unpunished. Through love and faithfulness sin is atoned for; through the fear of the LORD evil is avoided. Better a little with righteousness than much gain with injustice. In their hearts humans plan their course, but the LORD establishes their steps. How much better to get wisdom than gold, to get insight rather than silver! Pride goes before destruction, a haughty spirit before a fall. Whoever gives heed to instruction prospers, and blessed is the one who trusts in the LORD. The wise in heart are called discerning, and gracious words promote instruction. There is a way that appears to be right, but in the end it leads to death.”Proverbs 16:2-25

One of the highest tensions in our lives will be deciding between my way and God’s way. Often, the two are not in alignment. My way is led by the flesh and my desires. My way tries to solve my own problems. My way judges other people and leads to sin. My way is influenced by my pride and reacts quickly. My way says whatever it feels like and is willing to stir up conflict. My way leads to death.

There is a not-so-subtle connection in these passages about the impact of pride, affluence, and worldly desires on the human heart. Wisdom challenges us to watch out for desiring gold more than God and doing whatever we please. Not all roads lead to righteousness.

God’s way leads to life. Look at how Jesus lived. Look at the freedom, wisdom, authority, and impact He made with each recorded encounter. He was not a billionaire or a member of any country clubs. At the same time, He was not begging for bread or bitter over how difficult life was. Both wealth and poverty can lead people to sin. Jesus modeled a life of trusting God. He gave, served, taught, dined, and did God’s will. He did not live for what He could get out of life. He gave all of Himself so that others could find life. Following Jesus leads to righteousness. Where do you need to be more like Jesus?

“How the gold has lost its luster, the fine gold become dull! The sacred gems are scattered at every street corner. How the precious children of Zion, once worth their weight in gold, are now considered as pots of clay, the work of a potter’s hands! Those who once ate delicacies are destitute in the streets. Those brought up in royal purple now lie on ash heaps. The LORD has given full vent to his wrath; he has poured out his fierce anger. He kindled a fire in Zion that consumed her foundations. Your punishment will end, Daughter Zion; he will not prolong your exile.” Lamentations 4:1-22

Solomon told us in Proverbs that the Lord works out everything for its proper end, including the day of disaster for the wicked. He knows every heart and sees every deed. He hears every word and works out all things for their right end. God does not leave any doubt as to what happens if we walk away and do what is wrong. A time of disaster will come, and God will consume our foundations.

It may be hard to believe, but God does this for our good. It is not good for us to live apart from Him. Sometimes the most loving thing that can happen in a person’s life is to experience the full consequences of their sin. This is not a popular sermon topic, but it’s something that everyone should understand. God is the Redeemer, but people have to want redemption. Sometimes it takes going through hell to want heaven. The heart that trusts God can say thank you, Father, in the midst of the day of disaster. Thank you for caring enough to show me where I’ve gone astray. Can you still sing of His goodness during times of grief or when you feel like you are close to the grave?

“Festus went up from Caesarea to Jerusalem, where the chief priests and the Jewish leaders appeared before him and presented the charges against Paul. They requested Festus, as a favor to them, to have Paul transferred to Jerusalem, for they were preparing an ambush to kill him along the way…Paul made his defense: “I have done nothing wrong against the Jewish law or against the temple or against Caesar.” Festus, wishing to do the Jews a favor, said to Paul, “Are you willing to go up to Jerusalem…If, however, I am guilty of doing anything deserving death, I do not refuse to die. But if the charges brought against me by these Jews are not true, no one has the right to hand me over to them. I appeal to Caesar!” The next day Agrippa and Bernice came with great pomp and entered the audience room with the high-ranking military officers and the prominent men of the city. At the command of Festus, Paul was brought in…I found he had done nothing deserving of death, but because he made his appeal to the Emperor I decided to send him to Rome.” Acts 25:1-25

Think of the words of each author and how connected these texts are. When others attacked David or trouble surrounded him, he prayed that God would be near and hear. Paul did the same thing when standing trial for doing nothing wrong. He trusted God would establish his steps, and he was not afraid of death. Solomon knew the people would fail, so before they even wandered, he prayed that God would hear and forgive.

Proverbs warns us that our own way can look right and still lead to death, while Lamentations shows us what eventually happens when pride, possessions, and independence replace dependence on God. We do not need to pretend we will never stumble. We need to know where to turn when we do. God is attentive and takes action. Paul said that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.

Agrippa entered with great pomp, surrounded by powerful and prominent people, while Paul entered as a prisoner. But who was really free? Paul could face false accusations, uncertainty, and death because his confidence was in Christ, not his circumstances. He was clothed with salvation. In his suffering, he could still sing of God’s goodness.

When you know God holds you by the hand, establishes your steps, forgives your sin, and will take you into His glory, you can walk through anything without allowing it to change your heart.

The truth is God made a way before we knew we needed a way. He established our steps before we knew what steps we needed to take. Not only does God hear from heaven, but He has a plan, and His plans always prevail. Before we asked, He sent His Son out of His great love. So should we look to Him or look at the world around us?

Let us be attentive to the God who is attentive to us. Commit your way to Him. Stay close when life is good, come back quickly when you realize you have wandered, and trust Him when you do not understand what He is doing. Walk, love, live, and give like Jesus. Let the salvation you have received become grace you give. Whatever today brings, you have a reason to rejoice. You are not clothed in your accomplishments, possessions, position, or perfection. You are clothed in salvation. So rejoice in all God has done and sing of His goodness any chance you get.