Tag: hearing God

Posted in Family, friends, Grace, gratitude, life, prayer, priorities, Scripture, thankful, Trials

Listen Up

Posted on by Dewayne Taylor

And your ears shall hear a word behind you, saying, “This is the way, walk in it.” Isaiah 30:21

Sometimes it can be fun. So, one of the gifts I’ve received during my “longer than some” journey on earth is a body that keeps giving me new adventures—new experiences.  Different parts, at different times, keep on surprising me.  For instance, my knees on most days still work well…except for when they don’t.  Some days when I climb or descend the stairs, they let me know they aren’t as young as they used to be.  My doctor told me twenty years ago that I might have to have a knee replacement or two at some point.  Uh, while that point is not now, I think if I squint my eyes just right, I can see it down the road.

My least favorite gift is my hearing—or rather the lack of it.  While my right ear, I call him “old faithful,” is still plugging along quite well, my left ear is struggling.  There are certain things that I just don’t hear.  One of those things is Judy. For some reason I have a hard time hearing her.  The bottom line is sometime with somethings I am just deaf.  And other times, well, I just don’t hear clearly.

The other day someone sent me a little story that I thought was genuinely funny and it certainly makes this point.  It goes like this.  Mrs. Gladys Dunn was a pillar of her church. She visited the sick, she greeted newcomers, she served on every committee, and substituted for the organist when necessary.  After services one day, she noticed a stranger leaving the church.  She went up to introduce herself.  Extending her hand, she said, “I’m Gladys Dunn.” The stranger replied, “Me too! That was the longest sermon I’ve ever heard.” Smile!

Whether that was a hearing issue or not it was certainly worth telling.  All I know is there are things I hear clearly; some I hear incorrectly (and trust me that can be funny) and some I don’t hear at all.  Of those three—not hearing at all can be the most frustrating. Now one more thing.  With the hearing things I struggle to hear—if I make an extra effort, I can almost always make it out.  But that means really, really paying attention…just like when God is talking to…us.

Unlike our physical hearing, our spiritual hearing rarely requires a hearing aid, it usually just needs for us to focus. Whether it is God speaking through His Word, or a sermon or maybe through a circumstance, we need to train ourselves to pay attention.  You see, God never speaks needlessly.  Everything He sends our way is worthy of our close attention for we never know, we.never.know, when He is going to send something very important to us.  Just like missing the warning bell at a railroad crossing can lead to disaster, so can missing the Word of God.

So let me encourage you to “listen up” and listen clearly.  In the case of our story, it was humorous but in the case of life, and when the speaker is the Father, Son, or Holy Spirit, well it is rarely something to laugh about.  The best way to sharpen your hearing spiritually is to get in a quiet place reading His Word and have a chat with Him.  Soon, you will be recognizing His voice like never before.  And one of the most important things He will tell you is, “I’ve got this.”

Posted in Family, fear, Grace, gratitude, life, prayer, priorities, Scripture, thankful

Tick Tock, Clack, Clack

Posted on by Dewayne Taylor

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