Pastor Mike entered the pulpit as the congregation finished their hymn and resumed their seats. He noticed Miss Henry sitting in the third row. Not unusual, he thought, since she was somewhat deaf. In that position, she could hear the sermon better. Or hear something she could ponder, censure, and then spread around.
As he began to preach, the pastor noticed Miss Henry had extracted something small from her purse, which she inserted into her ear. Probably her hearing aid, he thought as he continued speaking. But after a few moments, he noticed she wore a scowl that turned into a grimace.
As he continued preaching, she suddenly snatched the hearing aid from her ear, stuffed it back into her purse, and sat stiffly upright. The pastor thought it amusing as he realized the reason for her action. His topic was about avoiding judgmental gossip, and since that was her unique talent, Miss Henry didn’t like what she heard.
Jesus asked His listeners to open their ears to His message. Unfortunately, that’s something we often fail to do—especially when it’s not what we want to hear.
But what is it we don’t want to hear? Perhaps God is nudging us into a new area of service, correcting us for a fault, or asking that we change our minds about a task. Whatever it is, when we don’t listen, we often remain stalled on our spiritual journey. We become listeners with no ears.
The next time you get a divine nudge, listen carefully and follow through on it—for your benefit and God’s glory.
How can you do a better job of listening to God?
(photo courtesy of pixabay.com.)
(For more devotions, visit Christian Devotions.)
Anne Adams is a retired church staffer living in Athens, Texas, where she writes a historical column for the local newspaper. Her book Brittany, Child of Joy, tells about her mentally disabled daughter and was published in 1986 by Broadman. She has taught junior college history and has published in Christian and secular publications for forty years.