“But in my distress I cried out to the Lord. Yes, I prayed to my God for help. He heard me from his sanctuary. My cry to him reached his ears.” Psalm 18:6

Hi everyone. Happy Friday. So a woman says to her husband, “You don’t have to agree with me, just hear me.” It’s rare that people actually expect you to agree with everything they think or feel. I don’t want to say there’s no one like that. I have met a few, but all people have a deep desire to be heard and understood.

Being heard is part of healthy communication. It provides acknowledgment, inclusion, understanding and healing. The dangers and harm of not being heard are not only proven throughout history, but are something we are seeing play out before us currently in our culture. So if you want to make a contribution that will help in this world, listen. When someone is expressing something to you, even if you don’t agree, repeat back to them what you heard them express before you share your thought or opinion.

How do you know when someone feels heard? Well, in your next conversation, watch for this physical clue. The shoulder drop. When someone is trying to get their point across, you may see their shoulders heightened, and when they feel you have heard and understood them, you’ll see the shoulders drop.

Aren’t you thankful that God listens and hears us? Psalm 18:6 expresses it this way, “But in my distress I cried out to the Lord. Yes, I prayed to my God for help. He heard me from his sanctuary. My cry to him reached his ears.”

Prayer
Lord God, we thank You that You have heard us. You have listened to us. You went as far to understand us as actually becoming one of us. And we celebrate the fact that You loved us in this way, and we ask that You would help us this weekend to love others with the same. We pray this now, in Jesus’ name. Amen.