"Speak, for thy servant heareth." - 1 Samuel 3:10
Ding! Ding! Ding! Ding! Ding!
That is a sound that is so familiar! It is the sound of things being added to my calendar that I need to take care of in the upcoming days. Last Wednesday, my phone started it's normal Ding! Ding! Ding! I looked down at my phone and something miraculous was taking place. The Ding! was not adding things to my calendar it was DELETING things from my calendar! It was incredible. Events that I had planned for, speaking engagements that I had prepared for, and all kinds of church, personal, and life appointments were being deleted off of my calendar to the tune of Ding again and again.
We live in a crazy busy world. If this last week has taught me anything, it has taught me that our lives are extremely hectic and busy. So busy, I'm afraid, that the noise of our daily schedules drowns out the voice of God. We have so many things and people pulling at us that it seems that the voice of God gets drowned out in all of our busyness and noisy existence.
I want to challenge you today, pray the words of Samuel the prophet of God: "Speak Lord, for thy servant heareth.." These words have literally revolutionized my life. When I feel the stress and pressure of life and ministry swallowing me up, I have to retreat and get alone with my God who loves me and beg Him to speak to me. So many times we are so quick to talk and so quick to tell God all about our lives, problems, and needs. When is the last time that you got still, you got quiet, you turned off the "DINGS" in life and begged your God to speak to you from His Word?
I really believe in a few short weeks, life as usual is going to resume and the "dings" are going to start back. But I do not want to miss these precious moments with my Savior to retreat into His presence and hear His wonderful Word as He speaks to me. Will you slow down today? Will you turn off the noise? Will you get alone? Will you stop talking? Will you stop planning? Will you stop everything and just hear the voice of your God today? He is speaking, will you listen?
Did You Pray?
I got up early one morning and rushed right into the day! I had so much to accomplish that I didn’t take time to pray.
Problems just tumbled about me, and heavier came each task. “Why doesn’t God help me?” I wondered, He answered, “You didn’t ask!”
I tried to come into God’s presence; I used all my keys at the lock. God gently and lovingly chided, “Why, child, you didn’t knock!”
I wanted to see joy and beauty, but the day toiled on, gray and bleak. I wondered why God didn’t show me. He answered me, “But you didn’t seek.”
I woke up early this morning, and paused before entering the day. I had so much to accomplish, that I had to take time to pray.—Author Unknown