"For the past twenty-three years—from the thirteenth year of the reign of Josiah son of Amon, king of Judah, until now—the LORD has been giving me his messages. I have faithfully passed them on to you, but you have not listened. Again and again the LORD has sent you his servants, the prophets, but you have not listened or even paid attention. Each time the message was this: 'Turn from the evil road you are traveling and from the evil things you are doing. Only then will I let you live in this land that the LORD gave to you and your ancestors forever.'"~Jeremiah 25:3-5 NLT
The first Spring rain arrived this morning with just a touch of thunder and lightening. I sat silently listening. The birds were chirping in between rain showers, and as cars passed by our home, I could hear rain being thrown off the pavement from car tires. I didn't have to be in the rain to know it was raining. The signs were obvious. I knew that if I was heading outside that I would need to dress appropriately for the rain, or I was going to get wet.
I realized that although I can be silent, the world around me is rarely silent. Something is always in motion. Even as I sit at my computer, I hear the computer running, the refrigerator kicking on and off, the clock ticking, the sound of vehicles passing by, and that big thud I just heard was Rosie, our 14 pound cat jumping onto the recliner. The world really doesn't know how to be silent.
Jeremiah struggled in this scripture reference to find a way to make people stop and listen. He was frustrated that although he continued to tell them that their actions were displeasing to God that they continued to move forward with their selfish ways of thinking and of worshiping idols rather than God. Jeremiah was able to see and hear what was happening around him, and the signs were obvious that if the people continued on this path that God's wrath would be poured upon them.
Reading the story, it's easy to wonder why couldn't they just be silent and truly listen? God wanted them to have a wonderful life with Him, but they were just too busy creating their own lives outside their relationship with Him. The world then, shared a commonality with the world today. It does not know how to be silent. Sitting in silence and just listening can often be so much more difficult that being in motion, and even if we can be silent, the world will not. I think that is why the verse, "Be still, and know that I am God! I will be honored by every nation. I will be honored throughout the world." from Psalm 46:10 is key to a relationship with God. Taking those precious quiet moments to pray, study scripture, read devotions, and reflect on God's place in our lives may be the greatest gift we can give to God. God will use those quiet and still moments to send us out in motion to be the kind of caring people He created us to be.
Yes, the signs are obvious that the world needs more disciples. We don't need to even leave our homes to know that love and compassion are desperately needed to enrich the lives of others. And as the signs of the rain this morning signaled that an umbrella and raincoat would come in handy, we know that we need to dress our hearts and minds appropriately so that we are protected in a world that holds a lot of uncertainty and fears. That's where those quiet moments of silence come in handy. Those prayers, studies, devotions, and reflections strengthen us in ways that even we may not be able to dream possible. We will have everything we need, and all it takes is a little silence on our part to strengthen our relationship with Christ. God is calling us to listen.
Let us pray:
Heavenly Father,
Help us to take time to slow down, be silent, and listen so that we may grow closer in our relationship with you. Remind us that you will equip us with all we need to go out and be your disciples. May our lives reflect our love for You and Your love for us in all we do.
Amen
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