Listening is hard work. Ask anyone.
“Huh? I’m sorry. What were you saying?”
Focusing on what someone else wants to tell requires discipline. I start out well and make it through a few sentences. Then my attention drifts to what I want for lunch or wondering if my hair looks okay.
Often, I mentally rehearse what I’ll say before it’s my turn. In doing so, I miss what the person tried to share. Just as bad is when I get impatient and jump in, interrupting mid-story to hijack the discussion back to me.
Thank goodness, God isn’t like us. He listens 24-7 to every appeal, both spoken and felt. I don’t need to fear if my petitions reach his throne.
“Does he who fashioned the ear not hear?” (Psalm 94:9 NIV). This passage made me chuckle when I discovered it in a quiet time reading the Bible. The context was one of consequence for wrongdoing, but for me it also means God equips creation with special capabilities that He has. God is alert to us at all times.
Think about elephants and their amazing abilities. Scientists believe they can hear each other call from 2 ½ miles away. Wouldn’t human parents love having that range? Heeeeyyyy, Junior! Time to come home!
Furthermore, elephants can sense rumbles in their feet as far as six miles away. Our prayers also ripple into heaven.
Dear Lord, please hear my voice. “Let your ears be attentive to my cry for mercy” (Psalm 130:2 NIV).
***
If you want to learn more how elephants hear, these videos are interesting:
https://www.kqed.org/science/1926248/how-elephants-listen-with-their-feet
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=saozGYbwLF0 How Well Can An Elephant Hear?
Sea World’s science article about elephants is at https://seaworld.org/animals/all-about/elephants/senses/#:~:text=Research%20has%20shown%20that%20elephants,its%20keen%20sense%20of%20hearing.
Image courtesy of Pixabay
Other devotions by Tracy L. Smoak can be found at www.tracysmoak.com.
