Seems like we often lie in wait for God to give us direction. We have our quiet time while the house is dark and still. We hold our Bibles and pray God will just tell us what to do, to make something very clear, or just fix the whole thing. So we sit and we pray. Maybe we even beg. And we leave frustrated because what we hear in that moment feels like silence.
Why won’t you tell me, God? Why can’t I hear you?
All the while we overlook the other times and ways God interacts with us. A recurring thought to shoot a text to that person whose child has been sick is not us being forgetful. The little nudge to go speak to that person at the end of the canned vegetable aisle isn’t us being distracted from our list. That heaviness in our chest to make right some harsh words spoken in frustration isn’t leftover anger.
These are nudges we didn’t know to ask for. This is the growth in wisdom and character that God gives us without our even knowing we need them. These are changes in direction that protect us from ourselves. But these things only become divine appointments if we listen with ears bent toward divine hearing – not ears bent on hearing only what we want to hear.
The problem is not that he’s not talking or listening. He is. Maybe the problem lies with our obedience.
I’m so tempted to make a crack about how great-looking earrings could make me more obedient. But I won’t. Although I could. I think I could make a pretty good case for it, too.
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