A Listening Ear

How terrible does it feel when you try to reach out but no one is available
or willing to listen to you? When you call up one friend and then another
but none of them answer? How lonely do you feel when you try to speak up
when you’re with your family or friends, but no one listens to you?

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How good does it feel when you make a connection? When you call someone and
they pick up right away, or when you bump into someone and they ask about
your day? How special do you feel when conversations pause because others
want to hear what’s on your mind?

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It feels good to reach out and be heard. Any time you reach out to God, He
is going to pay attention to you. You don’t have to worry about God being
too busy for you. God is never caught up in all He has to doHe is
infinite! He can always give you His undivided attention.

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God loves you so much, and He created you to be in relationship with Him.
Even though our sin separated us from God, He made the way for us to be
restored in our relationship with Him. Through Jesus’s sanctifying work on
the cross, God has provided forgiveness for our sins. If you’ve put your
trust in Jesus, you have full access to God. When you reach out to God, you
can know that you will receive, not just a listening ear, but also empathy,
because Jesus knows firsthand what it’s like to be human (Hebrews 4:14-16).
He has felt the pain of being misunderstood, disregarded, and alone. He was
willing to go through all that and morebecause He loves you.

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There might be times when you feel like no one is there for you or ready to
listen, but God sees you in those times, and He always wants you to reach
out to Him. Emily Acker

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Can you think of a time when you felt truly heard by another person? What
was that like? (Community was God’s idea! If you’re feeling alone, you can
ask God to help you identify trusted Christians in your life who will
listen to you, and who you can listen to in turn.)

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How might knowing that God hears usthat He really understands us and
cares about us, even before we say anythingmake it easier for us to reach
out to Him? (Psalm 139:4; Romans 8:26-27)

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In my distress I called to the Lord; I cried to my God for help. From his
temple he heard my voice; my cry came before him, into his ears. Psalm 18:6
(NIV)

Read Verses:

Psalm 34:15-Psalm 34:18; Psalm 139:4; 1 Peter 5:7; Psalm 18:6