Speak, Lord, for your servant is listening.  1 Samuel 3:9  

A certain woman named Lydia, a worshiper of God, was listening to us; she was from the city of Thyatira and a dealer in purple cloth.  The Lord opened her heart to listen eagerly to what was said by Paul. Acts 16:14  

One of my children was a challenge sometimes.  I remember wishing that I had a direct phone line to God who would tell me what to do in a certain situation.   

We know that God listens to our concerns.  Answers don’t always come back immediately as we would like.  Both people in our scriptures for today listened attentively to the speaker.  Listening is an art and so worth our time and attention. Like Lydia, perhaps the Lord opens our hearts so that we are able to listen.  Which does not mean that we do listen.  Sometimes we can hardly wait to open our mouths with  “but, but——“.  

Have you ever been truly listened to?  Especially if you have a problem?  Did the person listen closely and not jump in with a solution to your problem?  If so, you were blessed and talking to the right person.  

Have you ever truly listened?  It is an art that can be learned. 

We talk or pray to God but we need to listen too.  In the first verse above, God spoke audibly to Samuel.  When God speaks to us or answers us, we have other ways of getting a sense of his words.  What is important in that verse is that Samuels attitude showed that he was ready and eager to hear God’s words.  

Hearing God, Open both our eyes and ears that we may truly see and hear people.  May we be blessed to make a difference in someone’s life, someone who needs to be seen and heard.  Teach us how to listen.  Thank you for hearing us. Thank you for all your wisdom for you know exactly what we need.  Amen  

Joan Perlich     

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