"Does God Hear Us?" - Luke 11:1-13 - July 25, 2004

A young man learned what's most important in life from Mr. Belser, the man next door. It had been some time since Jack had seen the old man. In the rush of his busy life, Jack had little time to think about the past and often no time to spend with those important to him. He was working on his future, and nothing could stop him. One day, over the phone, his mother told him, that Mr.. Belser had died. Memories flashed through his mind like an old newsreel as he sat quietly remembering his childhood days. "Jack, did you hear me?" "Oh, sorry, Mom. Yes, I heard you. It's been so long since I thought of him. I'm sorry, but I honestly thought he died years ago," Jack said. "Well, he didn't forget you. Every time I saw him he'd ask how you were doing. He'd reminisce about the many days you spent over "his side of the fence" as he put it," Mom told him. "I loved that old house he lived in," Jack said.

"You know, Jack, after your father died, Mr. Belser stepped in to make sure you had a man's influence in your life," she said. "He's the one who taught me carpentry," he said. "I wouldn't be in this business if it weren't for him. He spent a lot of time teaching me things he thought were important...Mom, I'll be there for the funeral," Jack said. As busy as he was, he kept his word. Jack caught the next flight to his hometown. Mr. Belser's funeral was small and uneventful. He had no children of his own, and most of his relatives had passed away.

The night before he had to return home, Jack and his Mom stopped by to see the old house next door one more time. Standing in the doorway, Jack paused for a moment. It was like crossing over into another dimension, a leap through space and time. The house was exactly as he remembered. Every step held memories. Every picture, every piece of furniture.... Jack stopped suddenly. "What's wrong, Jack?" his Mom asked. "The box is gone," he said. "What box? " Mom asked. "There was a small gold box that he kept locked on top of his desk. I must have asked him a thousand times what was inside. All he'd ever tell me was 'the thing I value most,'" Jack said. It was gone. Everything about the house was exactly how Jack remembered it, except for the box. He figured someone from the Belser family had taken it. "Now I'll never know what was so valuable to him," Jack said. "I better get some sleep. I have an early flight home, Mom."

It had been about two weeks since Mr. Belser died. Returning home from work one day Jack discovered a note in his mailbox. "Signature required on a package. No one at home. Please stop by the main post office within the next three days," the note read. Early the next day Jack retrieved the package. The small box was old and looked like it had been mailed a hundred years ago. The handwriting was difficult to read, but the return address caught his attention. "Mr. Harold Belser" it read. Jack took the box out to his car and ripped open the package. There inside was the gold box and an envelope. Jack's hands shook as he read the note inside. "Upon my death, please forward this box and its contents to Jack Bennett. It's the thing I valued most in my life." A small key was taped to the letter. His heart racing, as tears filling his eyes, Jack carefully unlocked the box. There inside he found a beautiful gold pocket watch. Running his fingers slowly over the finely etched casing, he unlatched the cover. Inside he found these words engraved: "Jack, Thanks for your time! -Harold Belser."

"The thing he valued most...was...my time." Jack held the watch for a few minutes, then called his office and cleared his appointments for the next two days. "Why?" Janet, his assistant asked. "I need some time to spend with my son," he said. "Oh, by the way, Janet...thanks for your time!"

One thing God has, is time. God is always available to us, listening, caring, waiting to respond. But, how many of us actually give God a chance to listen? If your life is anything like mine, it is filled with many things. We are so distracted by the other noises of life, we don’t have time for God. If God doesn’t have our attention, how can we possibly hear what God has to say to us?

This prayer that Jesus taught his disciples was for the purpose of stepping out of our busy lives and focusing on what God wants. We think that God is not listening because we don’t always get an immediate response. We forget that the whole universe doesn’t revolve around us. God responds, but in a time frame that meets with God’s, not ours. In other words, it takes patience.

This past week I had a heavy agenda. To make it even more complicated I had a memorial service, association meeting and a dentist appointment. By mid week I was way behind schedule. I remember specifically that Wednesday was the busiest. That morning, after my workout at the "Y" I prayed that God would help me through the day. On my way to the church I got stuck in heavy traffic. I then realized what God was trying to tell me; "Patience." I needed patience. Somehow it would all get done. Just attend to what is important and everything else will fall in place.

After the funeral service I was leaving the funeral home when I was met by a man whose wife had just died. I knew him and could see he was badly distraught. We chatted for awhile and then I proceeded to the church for the luncheon that had been prepared for the family following the service. When I arrived, a parishioner said, "You’re late, they are waiting for you to say grace." I then told her that I had spent some time with the man whose wife had just died. She knew him and said, "Oh, I see."

I thought to myself, "Why would anyone think I would be late for the funeral luncheon at my own church?" Unfortunately others are impatient too. But we have no control what others can do. We can only practice patience for ourselves. Perhaps the parishioner thought I was goofing off. That’s where trust comes in. Just as I was late for a very good reason, God certainly can be late for good reason too.

Besides stepping out of our busy lives and taking the time to pray to God, God wants to be trusted. We can trust God to provide "our daily bread." We can trust God to listen to us and answer us. But where trust really comes in is when God answers us in a way that does not make sense, or is not to our liking.

A family recently left for vacation. They were almost at their destination when they received word that a loved one had died. They had to cancel their vacation and return home. I’m sure they were looking forward to the break. I’m sure they needed time away from their jobs and busy lives. This doesn’t seem like the kind of answer God would give. However, the family never missed a beat. They immediately headed in the opposite direction and arrived home to be with their family. They had to trust in God’s time frame, not their own. I’m happy to report they handled the situation with grace and sincerity.

Jesus doesn’t want us to neglect our daily relationship with God just because things don’t go the way we think they should. "So I say to you, ask, and it will be given you; search, and you will find; knock, and the door will be opened for you." When we ask for something that we want, it is like begging. But when we ask, seek and search, it mans we are hoping for greater wisdom. We also have to remember that the prayer beings with the words, "your kingdom come." God wants us to seek God’s realm. God wants us to make God’s kingdom our highest priority.

Focus on God, pray to God and trust in God’s response. It’s not simple because it requires discipline, surrender and patience. And perhaps that is exactly why Jesus included the "forgiveness factor." On the one hand, we are going to make mistakes and fail to listen. Therefore, we need God’s forgiveness. On the other hand, we have to be willing to forgive others for their mistakes. Just as forgiveness works both ways so does listening. We can’t expect God to hear us when we aren’t willing to listen to others.

The treasure, that Jack received from Mr. Belser was listening. "Thanks for your time," he engraved on the watch. The willingness to listen is at the heart of the Lord’s prayer. God is listening, but are we?

Dr. Keith Wagner, St. Paul’s United Church of Christ, Sidney, Ohio