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After graduating college, my husband Tim and I served as missionaries in Africa for a few years. Many times throughout my life I have reflected back to the experiences I had and the lessons that I learned during the time we were there.

In our youthful enthusiasm, Tim and I set out on a trip to visit our missionary friends. We followed what we had been taught as new missionaries in Zaire in 1974. We had our directions since there were no street signs or traffic lights on these dirt roads. There weren’t even any gas stations or other stores where we could stop to ask for help.

We had everything we needed in the car before we left – food, things to take to our friends, and plenty of gas to make the trip there and back. Not long after we left home, less than an hour into our trip, our car started having problems running properly.

Tim tinkered with the engine but it didn’t help. We prayed and asked the Lord for wisdom to know how to fix it so we could make it to our destination. We had really been looking forward to this trip. It became obvious that we couldn’t make it another hundred miles since the car would go no more than 25 miles per hour, so we turned around and limped home. I was confused and disappointed. Why God hadn’t answered our prayer?

When we returned home we had a mechanic at the missionary station who looked at the car for us. He was stunned by what he saw. He told us that the gas line was leaking directly onto the engine and that he had no idea how the engine kept from exploding. If we had continued the trip as we wanted, the engine certainly would have exploded and we probably would not have survived.

We were stunned! God knew what our need was even though we didn’t. He answered our prayer by making it impossible for us to continue our trip successfully, and by giving us the wisdom to turn around and head home. How thankful we were for His goodness!

Thank you God for protecting us, even when it is from our own desires. It blows me away that you know all of our needs and that you care enough to guide and protect us.

Following several years as a missionary, Dr. Ann Shorb began a career in counseling and is the founder of Christian Counseling & Educational Services in Hanover, PA. She provides a variety of services including pre-marital counseling and help with overcoming sexual addiction.

You’ve heard the saying, “Talking is sharing. Listening is caring,” haven’t you? I saw it on a sign in front of a church a couple of years ago, and it caught my eye. In the last few weeks, I’ve seen it again several times. I’m not sure who first said it, but it really is true.

In one of the devotionals that I sent out to my subscriber list I wrote about a rough time in my life that I was going through and how God’s Word had been a great comfort to me. When I wrote that devotional I had no idea that I would get such a warm response from readers. I had calls from friends and emails from readers that I don’t even know personally. Many of them told me that they were there for me if I wanted to talk to someone.

The fact that these people were willing to take the time to write an encouraging note, or even to call, meant so much to me. It should me that they were listening and that they cared about me. Those facts were obvious and it had a big impact on how I was feeling.

In this busy, fast-paced world, it’s all too easy to fail to listen when someone else is talking. Either we are thinking ahead to what we want to say next, or we mentally move on to the next thing on our to-do list. It’s especially easy to do that when you are on the phone.

When you listen to someone else it shows that you care and that you value them. You show that you care enough to give them your time and attention, and that can mean a lot. Listening helps to build stronger, deeper relationships, and it brings two people closer together. By listening to others we can show them God’s love.

Throughout the Gospels, we see the Lord Jesus listening to people and their needs. In John 3, Jesus listened to Nicodemus, a prominent and righteous, Jewish leader who questioned Him about His teachings and His miracles.

Not too long after speaking with Nicodemus, we read of a well known story where Jesus talked and listened to a sinful woman while she was getting water from a well. This woman would not have been considered worthy for most of the leaders of that day to pay her any attention, but Jesus did. He wasn’t concerned with things like wealth, status, gender, He was there for people that needed Him. This gives us a terrific model that we should be following.

To all of you how reached out to me, thank you. The fact that you were willing to listen really meant a lot to me. I want to let you know that the situation has been resolved.

Heavenly Father, thank You for the wonderful people that You place in my life. Thank You for using them as Your representatives of love and compassion toward me. Please help me to be as thoughtful of others as they have been to me.

Ann Shorb is a counselor and the founder of CCES in Hanover, PA. They provide a variety of services including premarital counseling, Christian marital counseling, family counseling and much more.