Listen

I admit that I have a tendency to hear but not listen. How about you? I mean, I hear people when they say things but I don't really take it in, I don't always listen. And, I will admit that it is frustrating to the person that is talking, and to me, especially when I do something I wasn't supposed to do or I don't do something I was supposed to do. Things could go so much smoother and easier if I would just listen.

I think we often go through life hearing only what we want. However, if our child makes a sound in the night, a really small sound, we hear. If there is a creaky floorboard in the hall, we hear it. When we were younger and our Mother called us by our full name, we heard. Aren't you glad that, at least, when it is really important, we can focus and hear?

Today's word is Psalm 40:1, ESV, which reads, "I waited patiently for the LORD; He inclined to me and heard my cry."

We need not wonder if GOD is listening; He not only hears, He listens. The psalmist wrote here that GOD "inclined", which means He fully listened with intent and interest; He "heard my cry". Aren't you glad that GOD isn't just a hearer? He is a listener and a doer.

I read somewhere that we don't always listen to hear, we more often listen to respond. If all we are doing is thinking of our next response, we may miss the most important details. I want to listen. I want to listen with the intent to understand. I want to hear what Trish tells me. I want to hear when my kids call to me. I want to hear the voice of GOD, really hear. Pray that I will not only hear, but that I will also listen.

Be Blessed,
Mickey T