Turn Up Your Hearing Aid

“Why can’t you understand what I am saying? It’s because you can’t even hear me!”  John 8:43

Have you ever noticed how frustrated people get when they can't hear?  It’s equally frustrating when we aren’t heard.

I have several friends who wear hearing aids.  At a group lunch one day, I sat opposite one such friend who had forgotten to wear her hearing aid.  As she began to respond to others in the conversation, it became apparent that she couldn't hear properly.  The bits and pieces of information she heard gave her a very distorted understanding of the conversation.  Finally, out of frustration, one of the people at the table said, "Turn up your hearing aid!"

Do you hear God speaking to you?  Do you hear it all, or just bits and pieces, giving you a distorted picture of what He's saying?

I think we miss a lot.

I hear people say all the time, "It would be nice if God spoke to people today like He did back in Bible times."

My friend, He does speak and He is speaking to us.  He speaks to us through Scripture, through song, in dreams, through divine intervention, through other people, and He even whispers in our ear.  But, just like the hard-headed and hard-hearted people He was talking to in the Scripture above, we often fail to hear Him, or we hear just enough to be dangerous.

Often, this is because we have too many distractions in our busy lives.  Sometimes it is unconfessed sin and stubbornness that keep us from hearing Him.  But, make no mistake about it--He is speaking to us.

Do you need to turn up your hearing aid?

James 4:8 tells us, "Come close to God, and God will come close to you. Wash your hands, you sinners; purify your hearts, for your loyalty is divided between God and the world."

Trouble hearing?  Open the Holy Bible. It’s one of the best hearing aids I know.  Or, better yet, move closer.

Goodnight, Runners.