Call to Me and I will answer you and tell you great and unbelievable things you do not know.” Jeremiah 33:3 (CSB)
The clock is ticking loudly. As I sit in my home office writing I am amazed at something. I have a wall clock hanging on the wall (where else, right?) and it is making its presence known quite loudly. The television is off, the internet music isn’t playing and in the quietness of the moment there are two obvious sounds. The ticking of the clock and clacking of the keys on the keyboard. Both are obvious…not because they are particularly loud but because of the silence. The absence of noise makes them very easy to hear. Clack, clack, tick-tock.
I’m thinking that if there is something I want to hear, perhaps the best way to do so is to lower the volume of everything else. Likewise, if I don’t want to hear them then all I must do is turn the noise up. For example, if my wife Judy is speaking from the kitchen, telling me, asking me to take out the trash I might be tempted to turn the television up just a bit. While I still might eventually have to take the trash out, it might at least buy me some time.
Here’s scenario number two. I am still in the living room with the television doing it mindless talky thing. I heard Judy talking to me from the kitchen but this time I turned the television down. I want to hear her. Why? Because I know what she has been doing. She has been baking an apple pie. I also happen to know it is just about time for that pie to be done. I reason therefore that she most likely is telling me, “Dewayne, the pie is ready” and that is a message I want to hear so I make sure I can hear. What do I do? I turn the television down and remove any obstacle that might keep me from hearing her and having a slice of pie.
The main difference is that the first is something I wanted to avoid and the second is something I wanted to embrace. And when it comes to hearing or not hearing, that just might be a game changer. All of this and that made me wonder. How often when I know God is trying to get my attention do I turn the noise up? How often do I make the conscious decision, the conscious choice to “not hear?” The answer, for me and for you, is probably too often.
The confusing part is this. I’ve been a God follower for a long time…long enough to know He is an “apple pie God.” When He’s talking I, we, should be listening—for two reasons. First, He is always a bearer of “apple pie news.” In other words, He is a good news messenger. Now that doesn’t mean it is always easy to receive, it just means that it is always for my good and His glory. The second reason I should be listening is because, well, He is God. There was an old commercial that said, “When E.F. Hutton speaks, people listen.” Well, I don’t know about that, but I do know this—when God talks, we should definitely turn up our hearing aids.
So let me suggest this year that we learn to turn the noise down—especially when we know God is talking to us. Remember, He is the bearer of good news and everything He says is important. So be sure and find the mute button on your noise makers and cock your ear so you can hear. After all, He just might be telling you to stop worrying and start trusting because “He’s got this.” Bro. Dewayne
Grits with Grace 