
God’s Ears Are Open and His Heart is Enlarged to Us
I bend over the changing table to “converse” with my two month old granddaughter. She watches my eyes, appearing to listen intently, while newly discovered smiles and coos cross her lips. Her arms and legs flail and wiggle in her attempt to respond and tell me what she’s thinking.
I smile back and encourage her to “tell” me more. I reassure her I’m listening and I’m so proud of her recent accomplishments. That I want to listen to her stories and cheer on her. That I love her immensely and am so grateful for her presence in the world.
Just looking at this precious little person makes me smile and brings me deep joy, even tears. A mere photo of her elicits a delighted laugh simply because of who she is. She’s my granddaughter. The flesh of my son. As such I get to enjoy her in a way others do not. She automatically melts my heart and I want to stay present to her and never lose this moment.
Suddenly I realize this must be how God feels about me! He looks down and he says “You’re mine” and I make him smile and laugh. He listens intently to my chatter. He’s totally absorbed in me as we lock eyes, as I learn to respond to his smiles and kind words. He is present to me and does not want to leave my company. I have his ear, he listens to me, and I melt his heart.
Listen to what he says to us:
- For [my] eyes are upon the righteous and [my] ears are open to their prayer. (1 Pet 3:12)
- [I] take great delight in you; [I] renew you by [my] love; [I] shout for joy over you. (Zephaniah 3:16–17)
- You are precious and special in my sight, and I love you. (Is 43:4)
- In the wilderness, [I carried] you along like a man carries his son. (Deut 1:31)
- Can a woman forget her baby who nurses at her breast? Can she withhold compassion from the child she has borne? Even if mothers were to forget, I could never forget you! Look, I have inscribed your name on my palms; your walls are constantly before me. (Is 49:15–16)
- As a mother consoles a child, so I will console you (Is 66:13)
- Before [you] even call out, I will respond; while [you] are still speaking, I will hear. (Is 65:24)
Martin Luther once said of God, “His ears are open to us and his heart is enlarged to us,”1 just as I am to my granddaughter. Walk in this truth today, beloved of God.
- I heard this quote in al sermon but have yet to find a citation for it. ↩︎

