Title: Listen Closely
Date: December 13, 2023
Author: Jackson Ringley
Psalm 85:10-13
In the hustle and bustle of our world, it can be hard to stop and listen to God. It can be even harder to believe what we might hear is a message of peace, or that such peace is possible.
And yet, the Psalmist knows God desires a world of peace, one in which salvation abounds and God’s very self is with us. I appreciate the Psalmist’s certainty, for they are sure that, if they listen to God, what they will hear is peace. The Psalmist sees that this is what God is all about; this is what God wants for us.
I wonder what it might mean for us to listen to God with as much hopeful certainty as the Psalmist. What might we be willing to do differently to hear God more clearly? How might we move differently in the world if we really believe in the peace God desires?
Date: December 13, 2023
Author: Jackson Ringley
Psalm 85:10-13
In the hustle and bustle of our world, it can be hard to stop and listen to God. It can be even harder to believe what we might hear is a message of peace, or that such peace is possible.
And yet, the Psalmist knows God desires a world of peace, one in which salvation abounds and God’s very self is with us. I appreciate the Psalmist’s certainty, for they are sure that, if they listen to God, what they will hear is peace. The Psalmist sees that this is what God is all about; this is what God wants for us.
I wonder what it might mean for us to listen to God with as much hopeful certainty as the Psalmist. What might we be willing to do differently to hear God more clearly? How might we move differently in the world if we really believe in the peace God desires?
Jackson Ringley is a graduate student at Yale Divinity School and the Director of Social Media for Youth Mission Co. He is active with Montreat Youth Conference and Montreat College Conference and enjoys helping young people find their own voice in the Church and world. Jackson holds a BA in English and Global Studies from the University of South Carolina and has a deep passion for queer writing, global literature, and storytelling as a means for social transformation. You can probably find him watching Abbot Elementary, dancing to Taylor Swift, or enjoying a good cup of coffee.
