My two daughters were on the sofa watching TV.
“Girls?! I’m about to run the vacuum, but it’ll only be a couple minutes, ok? Ok? Anybody?”
They weren’t listening, distracted by some series of animated critters. I’m no expert, but I’d say my experience is pretty typical for most parents. So, naturally, I started the vacuum and proceeded to, well, vacuum.
My girls proceeded to act like a small fiesta of nails were doing the Salsa on a chalkboard. “Dad, why’d you do that?! We were watching TV! Why didn’t you tell us?!”
I was reminded of this line from one of the historical books in the Old Testament: “The Lord spoke to Manasseh [then, King of Judah] and his people, but they paid no attention.” (2 Chronicles 33:10)
It’s easy to shake our heads at kids easily distracted by cartoons or YouTube or their devices. “Kids these days…their attention span is shorter than a goldfish,” we laugh with our haughty sense of superiority. But the truth is, none of us are really that different.
How often do I long for direction in my life and feel unguided? How often do I want clarity on a specific decision and I get nothing? How often am I blindsided by circumstances or life events and turn to God reproachfully asking, “Where were you?!”
But like my kids and the vacuum cleaner, we are so busy with our own projects that we easily miss the voice of God in our daily life. That the God who spoke the Cosmos into existence would willingly, happily, choose to speak to me is almost too good to be true. For some people, it’s completely unbelievable. But, it is the testimony of followers of Jesus and His Way for several millennia.
Whether through scripture, through the “still, small voice”, or through the words of our community, the Lord is speaking. The question for all of us is, “Am I paying attention?” If all of us sought to be just a fraction more attentive, our world would look dramatically different. But, for all the daily guidance we might receive and for all miraculous interventions we might experience and not even realize, we would hear something even more remarkable: “By day the Lord directs his love, at night his song is with me… (Psalm 42:8)
In all the good things, God’s love is made completely visible to you. And in all the dark moments, the Joy of the Lord is never far from you either. You are never alone. If nothing else, I hope you can receive this Truth from God today.
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PS - Our church has been going through a series on YouTube about How To Read the Bible. Let's face it, scripture is one of the primary means God communicates with his people. So, making sense of what it is, how we engage with it, and why we read it is, in my opinion, really important. You can watch the first (relatively short, about 10:00) video here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uBrktW3U2Lo
PPS - If you're looking for a more in-depth read on this topic of listening to God, I'd really recommend this great and accessible book by Pete Greig, "How to Hear God: A Simple Guide for Normal People". You can find it here.
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This article first appeared in the print edition of the Kingsport Times News in May 2022.
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