Tag: hear

Posted in Through the Bible Devotions

I didn’t hear you

Posted on by William Douthwaite
Photo by Ketut Subiyanto: https://www.pexels.com

“Did you hear what I said?”

“I’m sorry, I wasn’t listening.”

How often do you think two people have that little conversation? No doubt daily around the world in every language. A noisy world drowns out the voices speaking to us. You weren’t listening because that voice in your head captured your attention. You didn’t hear the kitchen timer go off, and burnt the cookies. You slept through last night’s thunderstorm. In the airport, a voice repeatedly summons a person to a TSA checkpoint to retrieve and item they lost there. Everyone heard it – that person.

In the Old Testament book of Zechariah, God is not happy. “They refused to pay attention and turned a stubborn shoulder and stopped their ears that they might not hear” (Zechariah 7:11) It’s not that God’s people didn’t hear him. They stuck their fingers in their ears, shutting out every prophetic command and warning.

The consequence of their intentional deafness is severe. “As I called, and they would not hear, so they called, and I would not hear,” says the Lord of hosts” (7:12). Hang up on God when he calls? He’ll be sure to hang up on you when you need to talk to him!

What did God say that was so offensive that they put their hands over their ears? God had told them (again) to be honest, kind, and merciful to each other (7:9). That’ it.

It wasn’t actually a hearing problem. It was more like an obedience problem. Everyone was willing to feast and sometimes fast (7:5,6). In other words, an occasional spiritual ritual was fine. Just don’t ask them to be nice to someone else. Nurturing selfishness means changing the channel so you don’t have to listen to God.

What is it that I don’t want to hear? When do I tune God out? Can I just pretend I didn’t hear that question?

When I’m busy. When it’s not convenient. When I already know what to do. When it interferes with my plans. When I’ve heard it all before. When it makes me feel guilty. When he’s right and I’m wrong.

People often wonder why God hasn’t responded to their prayers. They can’t figure out why he’s not listening. Maybe we’re the ones who need to listen before we open our mouths.

Posted in Through the Bible Devotions

Listen up

Posted on by William Douthwaite
Photo by Ben White on Unsplash

A “through the bible” devotion from Psalm 61.

When Jesus taught in parables, he said, “He who has ears, let him hear.” In other words, “Listen up!”

At the beginning of Psalm 61, David turns that thought around and calls on God to hear his prayers.

Hear my cry, O God,
    listen to my prayer;
from the end of the earth I call to you
    when my heart is faint. (Psalm 61:1)

Charles Spurgeon wrote, “The children of God are never content until their prayers are heard. Not just spoken, but heard.”

I think that’s a great reminder that it’s not so much what we say when we pray as it is who we are speaking to. Sometimes, when I hear people pray out loud in a group, I wonder, “Is that the way you talk to Jesus when you’re alone?” Some frame their petitions with doctrinal truths that seem to be directed more at the listeners in the room than the Father in heaven. Just tell him what’s on your heart. Release whatever is on your mind. Implore him to hear you, and be confident that he does.

Posted in Life

A sensory God

Posted on by William Douthwaite
Photo by Richárd Ecsedi on Unsplash

I was reading Psalm 115 this morning and I was struck by how interactive the Christian faith is. It is not just words on a page. It’s not just stories in a book. It’s not just images of biblical truths on t-shirts or coffee mugs. We experience the truths of the faith because God interacts with us in sensory ways.

The psalmist backs into this by describing idols made by human hands. They don’t say anything, see anything, hear anything, smell anything, feel anything or go anywhere. They are good for nothing. On the other hand, God does all of these things and more. That’s why we can trust him to help, protect, remember and bless us.

It’s not subtle. God is dramatically different than anything else you can fear, love, or trust.

  • He speaks. He speaks words that create life, hope, and peace. We know that all he has to do is say the word, and something happens.
  • He sees. He sees what’s going on in the world and in our lives. He looks into our hearts and see what we truly desire. He can also see what we ultimately trust.
  • He hears. He hears our complaints, laments, questions and cries for help. He hears our praise and thanksgiving. He hears every request, too.
  • He smells. Prayers and sacrifices wrapped in smoke are a pleasant aroma to him. The stink of death doesn’t deter him from giving us new life.
  • He feels. He feels the touch of the desperate who need healing, the worship of the thankful, and the pain of the nails that held him to the cross.
  • He walks. He walks through crowds, on top of the water, and up the hill to a cross.

Created in his image, we see, hear, taste, smell, and feel, too. If we’re paying attention, each of our senses connects us to the Creator. They give us sensory access to his divine power and nature.

So what did I see, hear, touch, smell, and taste today? And how did it remind me of my God, who is so much more than any idol I might craft in my mind or heart?