The Devotion of Hearing

February 13th, 2014 by Dave Leave a reply »

Samuel answered, ’Speak, for Your servant hears’ —1 Samuel 3:10

Just because I have listened carefully and intently to one thing from God does not mean that I will listen to everything He says. I show God my lack of love and respect for Him by the insensitivity of my heart and mind toward what He says. If I love my friend, I will instinctively understand what he wants. And Jesus said, “You are My friends . . .” (John 15:14). Have I disobeyed some command of my Lord’s this week? If I had realized that it was a command of Jesus, I would not have deliberately disobeyed it. But most of us show incredible disrespect to God because we don’t even hear Him. He might as well never have spoken to us.

The goal of my spiritual life is such close identification with Jesus Christ that I will always hear God and know that God always hears me (see John 11:41). If I am united with Jesus Christ, I hear God all the time through the devotion of hearing. A flower, a tree, or a servant of God may convey God’s message to me. What hinders me from hearing is my attention to other things. It is not that I don’t want to hear God, but I am not devoted in the right areas of my life. I am devoted to things and even to service and my own convictions. God may say whatever He wants, but I just don’t hear Him. The attitude of a child of God should always be, “Speak, for Your servant hears.” If I have not developed and nurtured this devotion of hearing, I can only hear God’s voice at certain times. At other times I become deaf to Him because my attention is to other things— things which I think I must do. This is not living the life of a child of God. Have you heard God’s voice today?

Journal DJR
Good Morning Lord,
The concept that you hear me all the time, every word I say, is a good thing to think about. You gave the example in John 11:41

Then Jesus looked up to heaven and said, “Father, thank you for hearing me. 42 You always hear me, but I said it out loud for the sake of all these people standing here, so that they will believe you sent me.”

It’s part of the package of walking with you. If I visualize walking with you … it’s like walking with any friend. We would be conversing, not just walking along silently. When walking and talking with a friend, of course they hear me and I hear them. The conversation goes back and forth. You and Father were like that and it seem like you’re saying that we are capable of that same type of relationship as well. Why do I live at such a lower level of connection and communication? Is it just that I dont put out the effort? or that I dont really believe? Or what? What do I need to do? I want to live like that!

One thing to be aware of is the danger in your last question, “What do I need to do?” especially the last 3 words, “need to do.” That can lead you into bondage. Bondage to lists and measuring up. These were things that the Pharisees were fond of. They thought it would lead them to righteousness like many in my church do today. And it’s not that those things on the list are bad in themselves. It’s just a matter of the power source. If you are keeping lists and checking them off with human power, it will lead to pride and judging others who dont measure up. If you just come to me and build our relationship so tight that you always hear my voice, and then just do what you hear and see me doing …… That’s the way to live. Then you will be building my kingdom … not because you are trying to and measuring your performance but because it’s just the natural out-growth of us walking together.

Here it is in John 5:19 So Jesus explained, “I tell you the truth, the Son can do nothing by himself. He does only what he sees the Father doing. Whatever the Father does, the Son also does.

Lord, help me (us) to live like that. Today.

Same song with the lyrics on screen.

Advertisement

Comments are closed.