THREE ANGELS BROADCASTING NETWORK DEVOTIONAL I’m Learning By Bobby Davis November 4th, 2025 “Understand [this], my beloved brethren. Let every man be quick to hear [a ready listener], slow to speak, slow to take offense and to get angry.” James 1:19 AMPC ​ I was getting increasingly frustrated. Someone I cared about very deeply had come to me with a problem, and I had tried to listen patiently. But after I grasped the problem, I was ready to move on to the solution. And he wasn’t. I had done all the right things. I had listened without interrupting. I had affirmed him along the way with head nods and mm-hmms. But now I was ready to summarize how I saw the problem and was more than ready to share my solution—and he was still going over the problem. On and on he went, and as the minutes ticked by, I wondered if he would ever take a breath. When he did, it was never long enough to get a word in edgewise, and I became… well… irritated. My frustration finally led me to start talking over him… and then my voice became a little louder. This was not going the way I’d hoped it would, so I stopped. And started. And stopped again. Finally, I put up my hand. “Do you need me to tell you that I heard and understood what you’re saying? Because I did!” I said, hoping to disguise my irritation. “Or do you want me to give you my solution?” The look on his face was a mixture of hurt and puzzlement. But I took his silence as my cue and launched into what I thought was a sensible solution. But let’s just say that it didn’t come across very well; and while he thanked me for my opinion, he was having no part of it. In fact, he cut the conversation short and walked away. I felt stunned and unappreciated. How dare he unload all that and then just walk away? I thought. But something inside me felt uneasy—something didn’t feel right. I tried to dismiss the feeling. He just didn’t want a solution to his problem, I guess. He just wanted someone to gripe to. And I don’t need that. How dare he waste my time? Feeling properly self-righteous, I began to walk to my car. But the uneasy feeling kept growing. Sitting down in the driver’s seat, I pulled the door shut. I turned on my car, but didn’t put it in gear. My hands on the wheel, I kept replaying the conversation again and again. What went wrong? A few minutes passed, and as I quieted down, my first clear thought was to pray about it. And as much as I hate to bring in God to clean up my messes, I asked, “Lord, please show me what I did wrong, because I really didn’t treat him the way I wanted to.” Finally, I heard the Holy Spirit’s still, small voice.​ Did you listen to him? “Of course I did.” Did you listen carefully? “Yes!” Did you listen long enough? “Well, obviously not.” (Deep sigh. Silence.) You know, everyone has a need to be listened to. To be heard. To be seen. I kept quiet, letting those thoughts sink in.​ “That’s where I went wrong, wasn’t it? There was nothing really wrong with the solution I had to offer, but I didn’t wait until he was ready.” I shook my head. It felt all too familiar—that feeling that I’d jumped ahead of God. Again. Well, maybe next time you can wait, ask a question, and help him find a new solution. Now that was a novel idea. How patient God is with me. He leads me to the solution, and when I find it, I’m excited. But how long has He been waiting for me to find it? He never rubs my face in it. He corrects me by using the gentlest hand possible. “Do not withhold Your tender mercies from me, O Lord; let Your lovingkindness and Your truth continually preserve me.” Psalm 40:11. I had missed the other points of active listening. I hadn’t withheld my judgment—because I could see where his thinking was wrong. I hadn’t avoided interrupting him, but got impatient and assumed I had the right answer. I hadn’t asked any questions, giving him a chance to clarify what his problem was, and I hadn’t summarized what I thought I’d heard and given him a chance to correct any misunderstanding. Instead, I’d had all the answers—and then treated him with anything but dignity and respect.​ Lord, I have sinned against You and against my brother. I ask Your forgiveness, and I’m going to ask for his forgiveness, too. A great feeling of loss stole over me. You’ve learned something. And that always feels like you’ve lost something, I thought. What was that text I had learned? “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control....” Galatians 5:22. “Lord, will I ever learn?” (Long pause.) Yes, My son. You are learning.