Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor stands in the path of sinners, nor sits in the seat of the scornful; but his delight is in the law of the LORD, and in His law he meditates day and night. Psalms 1:1-2
Most of us know the frustration that occurs when we are trying to explain something to someone only to have them repeatedly interrupt to share their ideas before we even finish saying what we are trying to say. They just refuse to listen past the point where their opinion begins.
A man was on the practice golf course when the club pro brought another man out for a lesson. The pro watched the fellow swing several times and started making suggestions for improvement, but each time the pupil interrupted with his own version of what was wrong and how to correct it. After a few minutes of this interference, the pro began nodding his head in agreement. At the end of the lesson, the student paid the pro, congratulated him on his expertise as a teacher, and left in an obviously pleased frame of mind. The observer was so astonished by the performance that he asked, "Why did you go along with him?" "Son," the old pro said with a grin, as he carefully pocketed his fee, "I learned long ago that it's a waste of time to sell answers to a man who wants to buy echoes."
Is that what we want in our relationship with the Father ... "echoes?" How quickly do we cease to listen just when God is beginning to speak? Possibly we get so excited when God reveals a new truth to us we leave before He can tell us how best to apply it. Or even worse, we hear a new truth and run to share it with someone before we really understand it. When asked to explain it we sound foolish. Receiving God’s wisdom is not something we can do on the run.
During the recent drought we had some infrequent showers. When the rain fell on the hard ground, it ran off before it could soak in. There was little impact on the condition of the ground except to become harder when the sun came back out! Those showers caused me to consider how badly we need to stay under the faucet of God’s Word long enough for the truths of God to saturate us. An extended period of listening becomes a time of meditation and transfers the words into concepts and convictions that can change our lives. Shallow thoughts create weak thinkers who cannot sustain their faith as well as one who has waded deep into the river of God’s revelation.
"Your time with God should last long enough for you to say what you want
and for God to say what He wants." - Max Lucado
and for God to say what He wants." - Max Lucado
I know it is sometimes hard to justify a period of inactivity in such a busy world. It is also difficult to find a place quiet enough to listen and think in order to meditate. However, the benefits to those who do so are great. Jesus had a great mission and yet He knew it was vital He spend time listening to the Father. Remember what He said to His disciples? for all things that I heard from the Father I have made known to you. John 15:15 Evidently, Jesus knew how to listen and that gave Him something important to say.
So, the lesson of the day is this: If you want to hear from God then don’t interrupt Him when He is talking. You might just learn something from the “pro.”
Scripture to Claim:
"But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all things that I said to you.” John 14:26
