{"id":3034,"date":"2012-01-15T01:48:40","date_gmt":"2012-01-15T07:48:40","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/markdroberts\/?p=3034"},"modified":"2015-03-13T15:34:38","modified_gmt":"2015-03-13T20:34:38","slug":"god-answer-me-quickly-inspiration-from-the-high-calling","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/markdroberts\/2012\/01\/15\/god-answer-me-quickly-inspiration-from-the-high-calling\/","title":{"rendered":"God, Answer Me Quickly! Inspiration from The High Calling"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<\/head>

God, Answer Me Quickly!<\/h2>\n
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Psalm 102:1-28<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

Don\u2019t turn away from me
\nin my time of distress.
\nBend down to listen,
\nand answer me quickly when I call to you.<\/p>\n

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Psalm 102:2<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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When we ask a question or share a concern with someone, we expect a quick response. Gone are the days when we would write a letter and wait patiently for days or even weeks for a return letter. Technology has fed our hunger for instantaneous communication. In fact, we call one popular form of this \u201cIM\u201d or \u201cInstant Messaging.\u201d But, even those of us who settle for the older forms of digital interaction, such as email, nevertheless want quick feedback. It\u2019s not uncommon these days for someone to send an email and then a text to make sure the recipient got the email. If there isn\u2019t a quick response to either of these, a cell phone call is not far behind. We want answers and we want them now, thank you very much.<\/p>\n

We can also be like this in our communication with God. But our desire for God to respond quickly to our prayers isn\u2019t simply a product of a technological age. In Psalm 102, for example, we read the prayer of an individual who badly needs God\u2019s help. Verse 2 reads, \u201cDon\u2019t turn away from me in my time of distress. Bend down to listen, and answer me quickly when I call to you\u201d (102:2). Desperate circumstances beget desperate prayers, both in our day as well as centuries ago.<\/p>\n

The psalmist\u2019s cry for God to answer and be quick about it impresses me in two ways. First, I\u2019m struck by the boldness of this prayer. The writer doesn\u2019t limit his language in ways I\u2019d be inclined to do: \u201cWho am I to tell God to act quickly? God\u2019s ways are not my ways. God\u2019s timing is not my timing. I have no right to demand an instant response from God.\u201d As we see throughout the Psalms, there is no restraint here, no meticulous polishing of the words. The psalmist tells God exactly what\u00a0he wants: Answer me\u2026now!<\/p>\n

Yet, my second impression is that God had not been acting according to the psalm writer\u2019s timetable. It is true that God\u2019s ways are not my ways and God\u2019s timing is not my timing. Though it can be terribly hard to wait on God, and though we should feel free to tell God to hurry up, nevertheless, often God moves in ways that seem to us to be very slow\u2014painfully slow.<\/p>\n

A friend of mine is looking for work. He knows what he feels called to do professionally, yet the opportunities for him to do this are few. He can easily become discouraged, wondering why God is taking so long. Psalm 102 encourages my friend to be honest with God, asking for a speedy response. And, at the same time, this psalm implicitly reminds my friend\u2013and all of us\u2013that God\u2019s timing is not our own. Thus, we live in the tension between telling God to act quickly and asking for the patience to trust that God\u2019s ways and times are always the best.<\/p>\n

QUESTIONS FOR FURTHER REFLECTION:<\/strong> Have you ever asked God to answer your prayers quickly? How did this feel? Are there things you\u2019d like God to do in your life or in our world right now? Have you told him this?<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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PRAYER: <\/strong>All-powerful and all-wise God, I am amazed once again by the boldness, one might even say the audaciousness, of the Psalms. Thank you for the example of Psalm 102, which encourages us to speak honestly with you, even asking you to respond to our prayers quickly, according to our timetable.<\/p>\n

Lord, as I think about it, there are many actions I\u2019d like you to do right now. I remember friends who are struggling with cancer and difficult treatments. Heal them quickly, Lord! I think of those who are out of work. Help them find the right job, soon! I think of families that are fraught with conflict. Bring peace and reconciliation, sooner than later! I think of millions of people across the globe who won\u2019t have enough to eat today. Feed them, Lord, now!<\/p>\n

Teach me to be bold in my prayers. Teach me to be patient as I wait for you. Teach me to trust that your ways and your timing are always the best.<\/p>\n

I pray in the name of Jesus. Amen.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

_________________________________________________<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>Would you like to receive a Daily Reflection like this one in your email inbox each morning?<\/p>\n

Here\u2019s how . . . .<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

This devotional comes from The High Calling: Everyday Conversations about Work, Life, and God <\/em>(www.thehighcalling.org<\/a>). You can read my Daily Reflections there, or sign up to have them sent to your email inbox each day. This website contains lots of encouragement for people who are trying to live out their faith in the workplace. The High Calling<\/em> is associated with Laity Lodge, where I work.<\/p>\n<\/body><\/html>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

God, Answer Me Quickly! Psalm 102:1-28 Don\u2019t turn away from me in my time of distress. Bend down to listen, and answer me quickly when I call to you. Psalm 102:2 When we ask a question or share a concern with someone, we expect a quick response. Gone are the days when we would write […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":109,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[7933],"tags":[21647,16732],"class_list":["post-3034","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-inspiration-high-calling","tag-high-calling","tag-psalm-102"],"yoast_head":"\nGod, Answer Me Quickly! Inspiration from The High Calling<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"God, Answer Me Quickly! Psalm 102:1-28 Don\u2019t turn away from me in my time of distress. 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