I was at a retreat out in the country, away from city lights and the hustle, bustle of busy commuters and honking traffic. Our small group was to practice prayer and meditation. “Breathe in, hold, breathe out, repeat until serenity sets in.”
Eyes closed, doing as instructed, and after a few minutes, my heart slowed, my breathing slowed, the tinnitus in my right ear stopped, and a tremendous sense of peace and tranquility set in. Then I heard birds chirping and water lapping at the shores of Lake Brownwood which was a couple of hundred yards away and down a slope. Normally I cannot hear the person next to me at the dinner table.
What was this, I wondered? Our small group was conversing on the meditation aspects, and I commented to myself, I thought, that a car just crossed the cattleguard. If you have been around cattle guards, you recognize the rumble of tires rolling over the pipes.
Everyone turned to look, but no car was yet visible. They turned back to me, their eyes questioning my sanity, but not saying a word. I muttered that the car would be coming around by the dining hall in just a few seconds.
Again, everyone turned to look, and, wait for it…the car rolled by Mac’s Dining Hall. I could hear the tires crunching over the gravel, as if I were a few inches from the car and not fifty yards. Everyone watched the car slowly roll on by, trying not to raise a dust cloud. We all waved to each other.
The meditation leader looked at me, as did everyone else. They were not going to voice their confusion, but their eyes and body language communicated:
“What just happened???”
Still in peace and tranquility and full of serenity, out of self and into the realm of a vital spiritual experience, I offered that God indeed does hear everything and does listen to everything…water lapping at the shore, birds chirping, cars rolling over cattleguards, gravel crunching under tires, and most certainly, without a doubt in my mind, God hears our prayers, our cries of woe, our shouts of joy, and He shares in our trials and tribulations.–By Marcus Murphy
Lamentations 3:22-23: “Because of the Lord’s great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail. They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness.”