Have you ever poured your heart out to God, only to get up and walk away before hearing what He wanted to say?
Many of us approach prayer as though it is a one-way conversation. We bring our worries, our hopes, our questions, and our needs before the Lord—and He invites us to do exactly that. But Psalm 85 reminds us that prayer is not only about speaking; it is also about listening. When the psalmist grows quiet enough to hear God’s response, he discovers something beautiful: the very first word the Lord speaks over His people is shalom.
Perhaps the answer we’ve been waiting for doesn’t begin with saying more, but with listening more.
Psalm 85 opens with a heartfelt cry: “Show us Your mercy, Lord, and grant us Your salvation.” It is the prayer of someone who knows that every true answer is found in God alone. We know that feeling. We come before Him carrying burdens that seem too heavy to bear. We ask for wisdom, healing, provision, protection, strength, and direction, trusting that our Heavenly Father hears every word.
Then the psalm takes an unexpected turn.
Instead of continuing to speak, the psalmist says,
“I will listen to what God the Lord says”
Psalm 85:8
What a beautiful picture of faith. He doesn’t simply hope that God might answer; he expects Him to. He becomes still because he believes the Lord has something to say.
The Hebrew expression here speaks of attentive, expectant listening. It describes someone leaning in with confidence, knowing that God is faithful to respond.
And what does the Lord say first?
“He promises peace to His people, His faithful servants.”
In Hebrew, that word is shalom.
Shalom is far more than the absence of conflict. It speaks of wholeness, restoration, completeness, and everything being brought back into God’s perfect order. It is the deep peace that settles our hearts even before our circumstances change, because it rests not in what we see around us, but in the One who reigns over all things.
The psalm says this promise is given to His chasidav—His faithful ones, those who belong to Him and desire to walk in His ways. What a wonderful picture of our Father’s heart. When His children seek Him, His desire is not to fill them with fear or uncertainty, but to speak peace over their lives.
The psalm continues,
“Surely His salvation is near those who fear Him, that His glory may dwell in our land.”
These words have always carried a special meaning for us as believers living here in Israel. Every day we pray that God’s glory would once again be seen throughout this land—that hearts would be turned to Messiah, that lives would be restored, and that many would come to know His salvation.
The psalmist then gives us one of Scripture’s most beautiful pictures:
“Mercy and truth have met together; righteousness and peace have kissed.”
The Hebrew word hesed speaks of God’s steadfast covenant love—His faithful mercy that never lets go of His people. Emet speaks of His truth and faithfulness. In God, these are never separated. His mercy never compromises His truth, and His truth never diminishes His mercy. Everything He does flows from the perfection of His character.
How often do we finish praying only to rush back into our day, replaying our worries or searching for our own answers?
Yet perhaps some of God’s greatest work happens in those quiet moments after we have prayed—when we choose to remain in His presence long enough to hear His voice.
His answer may not always come in the way or timing we expect, but His heart toward His children never changes. He still speaks hope to the discouraged, mercy to the weary, salvation to those who call upon Him, and shalom to those who place their trust in Him.
As we welcome this Shabbat, may we do more than bring our requests before the Lord. May we also quiet our hearts and listen. The God who invites us to pray is also the God who delights in speaking to His children. And even today, His voice still brings peace, restoration, and the assurance that He is near.
Blessings and Shalom,
Pastor Israel Pochtar
