A Touch of Selective Hearing

This week's column for the church bulletin...

A Touch of Selective Hearing

The righteous cry out, and the Lord hears them;
he delivers them from all their troubles.

—Psalm 34:17

I have a terrible habit of waiting until my husband is two rooms away, out of earshot, before I holler down the hallway with a question. I don't think I do it intentionally, I just happen to do it often. Either I assume he's still standing there or I have an anchor tied to my backside and I can't get up to find him. In the end, I can't always blame him for selective hearing because, well, I'm partially at fault. (I will never claim 100% blame, by the way.)

In today's Psalm, we're reminded thankfully that the Lord does not have selective hearing. Not only does He hear our cries – from two rooms away – but He listens to our troubles and lifts them from us.
If we let him.

Sometimes it's easy to forget that prayer is not a one-way conversation. Why are we asking God a question if we don't expect an answer? Are we listening? Anyone in a relationship of any kind knows that there’s an art to listening. Not just hearing the words, but listening. God may not answer our prayers on our timeline, but He answers them. That's why they say patience is a virtue. It's not easy to practice in all situations, is it?

Then there's that need to control things... Why are we laying our worries and concerns before God if we aren't willing to let them go? Is there some part of us that thinks we can still be in control of the situation and get better results? In this case, I will take 100% blame for the mentality – all too often.

I love that this Psalm reminds us that God listens. And He cares. He doesn't want us to suffer troubles and heartache. Granted, we often bring this on ourselves when we take control of the wheel. But still, He looks beyond that and loves us for taking the time to talk to him about it.

I'll have to keep that in mind if I do need an answer from hubby. He can't listen if he can't hear, right?