SElECTIvE HEaRING

And we have this confidence in him, that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us. – 1 John 5:14

I know a man who used to get in trouble with his wife because she claims he never listens to her. Every time she would call him, he wouldn't respond. "Why don't you answer me?" she'd demand. His reply would be, "But I didn't hear you." The wife interpreted this as her husband's way of ignoring her. She accused him of selective hearing — subconsciously not listening to her whenever she spoke. Of course, the man vehemently denied this. And the conflict only deepened.

Until the man had a hearing test. That's when they discovered that he was partially deaf to a certain frequency of sounds, including — you guessed it — his wife's voice. The Lord has selective hearing, too. He doesn't hear our prayers that will not benefit us or, at worse, harm us. Like those times we asked Him to make us sick just so we could avoid an undesirable situation. Or the times we prayed for death because we were depressed or heartbroken. Or the times we asked Him to bless us with something less than what He actually wanted to give us. But when we do ask for something according to His will, be sure that He has perfect hearing. 

by Rissa Singson-Kawpeng

REFLECTION:
When did you ask the Lord for something that wasn't good for you?

Lord, thank You for wanting the best for me. Amen.