I Hear You, But I'm Not Listening

A concerned husband went to his doctor and said, "Doc, I think my wife is going deaf. What can I do?" The doctor replies: “Go home and stand 15 feet from her and speak to her. If she doesn’t reply, move 5 feet closer and say it again. Keep doing this so we’ll get an idea about the severity of her deafness.” The man goes home and does as directed. He starts off standing 15 feet from his wife in the kitchen as she is chopping vegetables and says, “Honey, what’s for dinner?” He hears no response. He moves 5 feet closer and asks again. No reply. He moves 5 feet closer. Still no reply. He gets fed up and moves right behind her, about an inch away, and asks loudly, “Honey, what’s for dinner?” She replies, “For the fourth time, vegetable stew!”

I thought about that story this weekend when I was in a prayer team (common to a Holy Spirit 101 retreat or healing night) of four people. I noticed a man continuing to turn his left ear in the direction of the person who was speaking, time and time again. After we had individually prayed for each one in this group, I asked the man if he’d like prayer for his hearing. He quickly said, “I don’t have a problem with hearing, but my wife thinks I do. Actually, the problem isn’t hearing – it’s listening.” He amused us enough for each of us to compare notes on how well we listen – especially to the voice of the Holy Spirit.

I think this cartoon best describes why we're not hearing. The message is clear and true to our lives. Jesus said, "My sheep listen to My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me:" (John 10:27). I wonder if He had in mind how difficult "listening for His voice" would be in 2019? Of course, He did. And, if ever we needed to hear His voice, it is in this day and time. So many voices chiming in, so many distractions each and every day and being pulled by our social media apps and electronics that keep us nose-dived into content overload.

We need the Holy Spirit’s wisdom, comfort, guidance, peace, and direction. Of course, we long to hear His voice, but in the busy-ness, the clamor and the many, many activities and distractions of everyday life, oftentimes, we may be hard-pressed to find that quiet PLACE where we can go for solace, rest and peace, and hear the voice of our Shepherd. And, even when we manage to find that place, like in this cartoon, the noise of our cell phones, radios, computers, TV, etc. -- keeps us distracted from hearing our Shepherd's voice.

We need to find that place where His voice comes through loud and clear to us. Oh, He has that place -- and we can find it, but it's up to us to disregard the distractions to "Be still (that’s a feat in itself) to hear and know our God." And, I'm not referring to a far-away island in the middle of no-where. It's possible to find that place if only for a few minutes in our day, to "Come away with Him"!

Matthew 13:13 -- Jesus said, “This is why I speak to them in parables: Though seeing, they do not see; though hearing, they do not hear or understand.’”

Why Are We Poor Little Lambs Who Have Lost Our Way?

Remember singing "We're poor little lambs who have lost our way. Baa, baa, baa"? That little song represents many of us who wander off from their shepherd.
The cartoon here is funny but, the message is clear and VERY real to our lives. Jesus said, "My sheep listen to my voice, and I know them, and they follow me:" John 10:27. Wonder if He had in mind how difficult "listening for His voice" would be in 2017, and especially at this time of the year? More than ever, we really need to hear His voice. We need His wisdom, comfort, guidance, peace, and direction. Of course, we long to hear His voice, but in the busy-ness, the clamor and the many activities and distractions of everyday life, we may often, be hard-pressed to find that quiet PLACE to hear the voice of our Shepherd. Even when we manage to find that place, "noise" -- our cell phones, emails (so many advertisements that beckon us to call now, buy now, order now), radios, computers, TV, etc. -- keep us distracted from hearing our Shepherd's voice.

It's time to find that place where His voice comes through loud and clear to us. He has that place -- and we can find it, but it's up to us, to disregard the distractions to "Be still -- to hear and know our God." I'm not referring to a far off island in the middle of no-where. It's possible to find that place, if only for a few minutes in our day, to "Come away with Him"!

What if everything we're needing -- the decisions we need to make, what job we should take; what school our kids should go to; what diet or fitness routine we should be on; what part of town we should live in, etc. All of these answers, and more, are found and answered by our Shepherd. If "The Lord is my Shepherd, He promised, I would never want." so maybe we need to "tune-in" to our Shepherd, and "tune-out" what's NOT!

Before the little shepherd boy David became King David, he wrote Psalm 23. He was where there were no distractions, other than the lion and the bear, but because he had been in the quiet green pastures with HIS Shepherd, he could take on the distractions with a fervor and defeat them. What if we hung out in the "green pastures" of our Good Shepherd? If we did, the distractions and the opposing forces that come to defeat us, would be silenced and rendered "null and void". We would sing with David "The Lord is MY Shepherd. There is NOTHING that I want."