Are You Listening?

Has anyone ever said to you, “You better listen!”? Teachers and parents say this a lot especially when you are young. Close your eyes for a moment and listen to the sounds around you. I mean really do this, right now! ……….. Can you identify the sounds? Do you hear the fridge humming, or maybe the birds chirping, a clock ticking? Maybe you hear a log truck or car passing on the road. My point is, we can recognize things, animals, and people by their sounds. We knew them without seeing them because we recognized their voice/sound. How do we hear God? With our heart and by reading and knowing His Word.

First, to know when God is speaking, you must learn to LISTEN. Second, you MUST know God’s word! How do you know God’s Word? You get to know God by going to church, listening to sermons/worshipping Him, singing hymns, and by reading, studying, and meditating on His word. Third - You must be attentive to his “nudges”. His Spirit will lead you and guide you in all TRUTH. He may “tell” you to speak nicely to someone. You may simply need to smile, offer an encouraging word, or lend a helping hand. When you know God, you will recognize Him and his “voice” through your heart. Remember, we have two eyes to see, two ears to hear, and one voice. Listen twice as much as you speak and see all that you can.

John 10:27 “My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me.

I am a sheep. Jesus is my shepherd as well as my Pastor. I need to listen and follow.

Can you hear God “speaking” to your heart? I pray you can.

As Paul Harvey would say, "now for the rest of the story."

I was cleaning up and editing my devotion for this posting, the thought popped into my head, how nice it would be to have a poem to end with. So I texted Kathy Crouch, our in-house poet laureate. I've only asked her to write for me one other time. She immediately asked what my scripture reference was. I texted her John 10:27. Several hours later I got a text that said she had written a poem and emailed it to me. Well, it's a God thing and I'll just let you decide if you like the rest of the story.

What Do You Hear?

“My sheep hear my voice, and I know them,

And they follow me.”

John 10:27

When I close my eyes and listen,

Through the noise what do I hear?

Trucks, birds, the rustling of leaves,

These sounds are so very clear.

When I close my eyes in heartfelt prayer,

Oh, my soul, what do I hear?

Does my Savior’s voice call out to me?

Is it distant or oh so near?

God promises to hear our cry

And attend unto our prayers.

As we seek His voice on bended knee,

He will show us that He cares.

It’s up to us to listen,

To what He has to say.

It’s the noise and constant distractions,

That will cause our minds to stray.

With word in hand and a ready heart

Stay alert He has much to tell;

It may be a gentle whisper,

But we’ll hear if we listen well.

Kathy M. Crouch

♥️💗