Listening and Steadfast

Come and hear, all you who fear God,
and I will tell what he has done for my soul.
  I cried to him with my mouth,
and high praise was on my tongue.
  If I had cherished iniquity in my heart,
the Lord would not have listened.
  But truly God has listened;
he has attended to the voice of my prayer.

Blessed be God,
because he has not rejected my prayer
or removed his steadfast love from me!

God had taken the people through great trial, according to Psalm 66.  But the majority of the Psalm is beautiful words of praise to God their Deliverer.  The psalmist was quick to tell what God had done for them.  He knew that God had listened.

How can we know that God listens to us?  We do not cherish iniquity in our hearts.  Noah Webster defines cherish as:  "To treat with tenderness and affection; to give warmth, ease or comfort to."  Are there certain sins in our lives which we treat with such tenderness and affection, that are so comfortable to us, that we refuse to let go of them?   

What a comforting thought to recognize that our God has not removed His steadfast love from us!  When Jesus cried, "It is finished!" on the cross of Calvary (John 19:30) , what was necessary for the salvation of mankind was complete.  His death, the blood that He shed for us, was the final sacrifice for sin.  And since we are all sinners--all of us--we need the atoning sacrifice that the Lord Jesus Christ made through His death, burial and resurrection.  Through Him we may have life and be assured that God's love is steadfast and everlasting.

What an exciting and encouraging Psalm!  He listens to the prayers of His saints, and His love is sure.  I need that!

Rejoicing in His love for me,

Gloria