Psalms 66:19
But verily God hath heard me; he hath attended to the voice of my prayer.
Psalms 66:19
This verse marks a turning point from warning to assurance. The psalmist proclaims that God has heard and attended to the voice of prayer. It echoes the covenantal pattern in which God is attentive to the cries of the afflicted, especially when faithfulness accompanies prayer. The Hebrew term for “attended to” or “heard” signals active concern and response from God, not mere passive listening. The surrounding verses narrate a history of deliverance; here the speaker testifies to the personal experience of deliverance, reinforcing communal memory: God does answer, and He acts on behalf of the faithful. The cultural context includes liturgical recitation—retelling the acts of God to strengthen faith in the community. This verse affirms that when the heart is aligned and prayers rise in sincerity, God is present and responsive.
Theologically, this verse underscores the reliability of divine listening as a foundational attribute of God. It reinforces God’s responsive nature and the reality of answered prayer. The themes include faith, trust, and the interplay between human longing and divine action. It also emphasizes the hope that prayer is not in vain; God “attends to” the voice of prayer, a phrase that signals active gracious intervention. This is central to biblical prayer theology: God is not distant; He engages with His people through Scripture-saturated expectation and hope.
In practice, this verse encourages perseverance in prayer, even when answers seem slow. Ways to apply:
- Keep a prayer ledger noting dates of requests and times of perceived answers.
- After a difficult period, recount to yourself or others how God has listened and acted.
- When overwhelmed, pause to recognize and declare what God has already done in your life.
- Encourage others by sharing testimonies of answered prayer.
The message: God is not indifferent; He listens and acts. Your prayers matter, and your faith can grow as you observe His attentiveness over time.
Cross-References: Psalm 28:6; Psalm 40:1-3; Psalm 116:1-2; Luke 18:7-8; 1 John 5:14