We May Be Able To Hear, But Are We Listening
We May Be Able To Hear, But Are We Listening 2024-3-10
Deuteronomy 1:43 (NKJV) — 43 So I spoke to you; yet you would not listen…
I was working on a home project recently that was almost identical to one from eighteen months earlier and I remembered the type of saw blade used in my oscillating tool previously. As I stood before the rack of saw blades in the store, I couldn’t find the one I wanted. I looked through the entire rack of blades twice to ensure the blade was not there. Finally, I prayed and felt that I didn’t need the past blade for the present cutting operation. I ashamed to say that I don’t think I believed that I was hearing correctly or that Holy Spirit was correct because I was so predisposed in my thinking by the experience of the past and what I knew to be true (or so I thought).
As I put the blade that Holy Spirit prescribed (because I couldn’t find the one, I thought I needed so I had to listen to Him) in the tool, it cut through the material easily. The walls appeared identical but underneath the paint they were different. Holy Spirit knew what was beneath the surface and the tools I needed for today. Isn’t it amazing that Holy Spirit knows the answer to every challenge and what is needed to overcome. Praise Him!
One of the downfalls of experience is that we can rely on our memories of the past to deal with the issues of today. We attempt to live today from our memory circuits instead of by what we hear. We think we know where a situation is going, and we act according to the past instead of listening to Holy Spirit in the present.
Matthew 4:4 (NKJV) — 4 But He answered and said, “It is written, ‘Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God.’ ”
When we are born-again, we are given the spiritual senses to see and hear Holy Spirit. I read an article after the situation I encountered at Lowe’s above that said, “anyone can hear, but it takes a different skill to listen.” We have been called into a relationship with Jesus Christ. Recently, I was reminded by Holy Spirit that we can be related to someone and not have a relationship. In like manner, we can hear, but are we listening?
We have been called to go into our spheres of influence as a witness for Lord, yet we cannot speak effectively unless we have heard effectively. Jesus told us in Matthew 6:11 that we are to daily pray individually that Papa God would give us a word to share with someone else. This means that He has a word for each of us daily. We and the others in our sphere of influence today shall be lacking if we don’t take the time to listen.
Prayer is a two-way communication. We delight in talking to the Lord, because He delights in listening to us (Proverbs 15:8), but we shall not find the delight intended in prayer if we don’t listen to Him. Thankfully, just because we have been a bad listener, doesn’t mean you can’t become better. Listening is a skill you can practice and with practice, you can become more proficient. Daily, Holy Spirit orchestrates circumstances to give us practice, so don’t give up on improving.
I must admit that some of my prayers are the fruit of not listening. Sometimes, the answer has been spoken to me, but I have not listened. This means our Lord, at times, must repeat Himself when it wouldn’t be required if we were more attentive. As we grow in our ability to hear, we shall be less discouraged by problems, and we shall discover that we may hear the solution before we encounter the problem (since there is no problem for which He doesn’t have a solution).
Holy Spirit, we ask forgiveness for those times when we have not listened to You, and we ask afresh for You to open our ears to listen today to what You have to say. Thank You for doing so. Amen.
Psalm 34:11 (NKJV) — 11 Come, you children, listen to me; I will teach you the fear of the Lord.
Love and Blessings! Evans