Oops!

It was a long day at work. I was tired and anxious to see my wife. I called her on her cell phone. No response so I left a message. A few minutes later, I texted her. Still no response. By the time I got home, she was nowhere to be found and I started talking to my neighbor. I was a little upset, wondering why in the world, she doesn't answer her phone. "What good is it to have a phone if you don't listen to it, check it, etc.?"
When she did call me, well after 6pm, I was obviously distant. "Have you had supper, yet?" she asked. "I'm eating now. I tried calling you and when you didn't answer, I decided not to wait." "I called you twice and you didn't answer," she said in her defense. Sure enough, when I checked my call log, she was right. It was I who was guilty of not hearing her call me. Ouch! "Those who walk in pride, God is able to humble" (Daniel 4:37).
Over the years, I've had many people tell me that when they prayed and lifted up requests to God, He just wasn't listening. Oftentimes, this means they didn't get the answer they wanted. Could it be that God is talking to us on a regular basis and we're the ones not listening to Him? Is it possible that God has already communicated exactly what we need to hear, in His Word, and we selfishly and stubbornly haven't made the time to read it?
Maybe, when it comes to our relationship with God, we need to heed the advice of the Psalmist: "Be still and know that I am God" (Psalm 46:10). Or, maybe James was referring to our relationship with God, as well as our relationships with other people when he wrote, "Be quick to listen, slow to speak, and slow to get angry"
(1:19). From my experience that day with Jane, I can verify there is a direct correlation between being "slow to anger" and being "quick to listen", and vice versa. It was precisely because I wasn't listening that I got angry. Maybe, if we were listening more and speaking less to God, we would also get angry less often with Him. Maybe, the truth really does set us free (John 8:32). Just a thought! Blessings! (I Corinthians 15:58)