“Can You Hear Me God?”
“Grandma, let’s go outside and swing.” We were all together, all four generations, at my son and daughter-in-law’s home, and my youngest granddaughter wanted a push on her swing. She is a tiny wisp of a girl with huge brown eyes, long light brown hair that curls lightly around her shoulders and a sweet shy smile. The only thing big about her is her voice. As the youngest of five children, she has learned to up the volume if she wants to be heard. She is so precious, and I love spending time with her.
So we bundled up (because temperatures in the 50’s feel mighty cool to us Texans) and headed outside to the swing set. I helped her onto the swing and began to gently push her. “Higher Grandma!” she cried. I pushed a bit harder. Now she was going about as high as her swing would allow. As she reached the highest point of the arc she looked up into the sky and yelled as loudly as her three year old voice could yell, “Can you hear me God?”
It took me by surprise, and I was quiet for a moment. Then I said, “Of course He can hear you honey. He can hear you if you just whisper. He can hear you if you just say the words in your heart. He is right here with us.”
She didn’t say anything for a little while, just continued swinging. Then as her swing reached toward the heavens, “Can You hear me Jesus? Can You hear me God?”
One day this little one will understand that He does indeed hear every word – spoken and unspoken. Right now that is a difficult concept for a three year old mind. I am all grown up, but there are times when, like Grace, I want to shout to the heavens, “Can You hear me God?” Times when God seems so very distant, and I want desperately to know He has heard my prayer.
“Can You hear me God?” The answer echoes down through time from the pen of the Psalmist, as he was directed by the Holy Spirit:
“I love the Lord, because He hears my voice and my supplications. Because He has inclined His ear to me, therefore I shall call upon Him as long as I live.”
Psalm 116: 1, 2 (NAS)
“Even before there is a word on my tongue, behold, O Lord, Thou dost know it all.”
Psalm 139: 4 (NAS)
“I sought the Lord, and He answered me, and delivered me from all my fears.”
Psalm 34: 4 (NAS)
“In the morning, O Lord, Thou wilt hear my voice; in the morning I will order my prayer to Thee and eagerly watch.”
Psalm 5: 3 (NAS)
Yes Grace, He can hear you.
This post was precious, thank you.
beautiful! I was encouraged this last fall by a phrase on a summer camp CD that says “God has not forgotten me, He knows my name.” Like your devotion, sometimes we forget just how much God is in charge, listening, knowing, just there — closer than the very heart beating in our chest, ahead of the breath that comes out of our mouth!
I appreciate you sharing this precious moment with us in such a way that I felt like I was right there pushing that swing along with you.
“Can you hear me God”, can big girls ask that too? What a precious time with your granddaughter. Oh, what we can learn from the pure heart of a child unblemished yet by this world and life.
Thanks, Linda and May the Lord Bless you!
Words from a child. We know, but sometimes we need reminded. David had away of stating it in the Psalm’s verses you used. Thank you.
Love and Hugs,
Joyce
Verily I say unto you, Whosoever shall not receive the kingdom of God as a little child, he shall not enter therein. Mark 10:15… oh that we would revert back to the little child in us and just stand and look at God……… what would we see????????? Thanks for the story…. how wonderful to swing with the granddaughter………
That is just so precious. Made me feel all good inside!
I guess prayer was on your mind too 🙂 – Yes, the Lord hears our prayer and sometimes we have to be patient (even when it is hard)…So sweet how your little granddaughter is having a conversation with God from the swing.
Thank you so much for sharing, Linda.
Blessings to you and yours.
Thanks for sharing this story with us Linda. Don’t the children in our lives just have a precious way of pointing us to God?
Linda,
What a sweet post. I can just invision your grandaughter swinging and yelling to God. Neat.
BTW, I think all of us has yelled that very phrase once in a while??? Love you my friend, Lynn