Hanging on Your Every Word

Sunday morning when driving to church, as I often do when driving alone, I was thinking, praying, and listening to music. I caught the end of a song on a local Christian radio station. I don’t know what song it was, but these words stuck out to me, “hanging on every word you say”.

Immediately I thought about how there are people in my life for whom I “hang on their words”. Have you ever been texting or emailing someone and you just couldn’t wait to get their response? Have you ever had medical tests and wondered about the results? Have you interviewed for a job and couldn’t wait to see if they would offer you a position? Have you ever watched a sporting event and eagerly anticipated the outcome? Have you ever asked someone to go on a date and you wondered whether they would say ‘yes’? Have you ever taken a test and couldn’t wait to see the results? We all have times in our lives where we are “hanging on every word” someone says.

These are moments of great anticipation, sometimes accompanied by nervousness and uncertainty. Out attention is focused. We are on the alert for any clue that might tip us off to the outcome. Then I asked myself whether it is healthy or even ok, to hang on the words of others. I decided that it is ok, as long as it doesn’t lead us into anxiety, worry, or distress.

Then it struck me. As Christians, we should be hanging on to God’s every Word more than any other words. But do we? I had to examine my heart. How many times last week did I eagerly await a reply from a friend? How many times did I eagerly anticipate what God had to say, whether in church, in reading the Bible, or even as I prayed? I have to be honest. Yes, I prayed. Yes, I attended church, and yes, I read the Bible. But I didn’t always “hang on his every word” as much as I hung on the words of my friends.

As I walked in the doors of church Sunday morning, I was ready to “hang on God’s every word”. Lord help me consistently “hang on to your every Word” every day of my life.

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