Are You Listening?

Actually, this post could also be titled, "Am I Listening?" Here's a little of what's happening in my heart this week.

“'Listen, you who are deaf! Look and see, you blind! Who is as blind as my own people, my servant? Who is as deaf as my messenger? Who is as blind as my chosen people, the servant of the lord? You see and recognize what is right but refuse to act on it. You hear with your ears, but you don’t really listen.' Because he is righteous, the LORD has exalted his glorious law. But his own people have been robbed and plundered, enslaved, imprisoned, and trapped. They are fair game for anyone and have no one to protect them, no one to take them back home. Who will hear these lessons from the past and see the ruin that awaits you in the future? Who allowed Israel to be robbed and hurt? It was the LORD, against whom we sinned, for the people would not walk in his path, nor would they obey his law. Therefore, he poured out his fury on them and destroyed them in battle. They were enveloped in flames, but they still refused to understand. They were consumed by fire, but they did not learn their lesson. (Isaiah 42:18-25 NLT)

As I was reading this morning, my eye was especially drawn to the verse in bold (vs. 20). I've been doing a GRACE Group with some guys, reading through some verses via a 7-day Easter devotional on the YouVersion app. The last two days God's been drawing my heart to a theme: I am not a slave to doing the works of the flesh or the world; I have been set free to do God's work, that He's prepared in advance for me to do.

Do you ever have verses jump out at you? Have you ever read a Bible verse, or heard a statement, and it seems like something in it suddenly shouts at you? That's what these verses are doing to me. When that happens, you need to start taking time to think about what you're hearing. Take some time to be still and listen for what God might be trying to say to you. The emphasis is on being still and endeavoring to put aside all distractions so that God has room in your head and heart to actually speak and you can hear Him.

In my case, these verses are demanding me to ask questions like: "Is there something that I'm doing that isn't God's work, but my own efforts?" "Has God told me to do something (or not do something), and I'm not obeying?" I'm going to be taking some time this week to listen for more of what God's trying to tell me. Because the end result of not listening and obeying, based on Isaiah's words above, seems to be pretty negative and painful.

What might God be saying to you this week?


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