In his book “Directions”, author James Hamilton shares this insight about listening to God.
Before refrigerators, people used icehouses to preserve their food. Icehouses had thick walls, no windows and a tightly fitted door. In winter, when streams and lakes were frozen, large blocks of ice were cut, hauled to the icehouses and covered with sawdust. Often the ice would last well into the summer.
One man lost a valuable watch while working in an icehouse. He searched diligently for it, carefully raking through the sawdust, but did not find it. His fellow workers also looked, but their efforts also proved futile. A small boy who heard about the fruitless search slipped into the icehouse during the noon hour and soon emerged with the watch.
Amazed, the men asked him how he found it.
“I closed the door,” the boy replied, “lay down in the sawdust, and kept very still. Soon I heard the watch ticking.”
Often the question is not whether God is speaking, but whether we are being still enough, and quiet enough, to hear.
The Coronavirus pandemic, financial uncertainty, political turmoil and many other concerns have resulted in a lot of noise this year. How do we find answers? The noise can be distracting, if not overwhelming.
The boy found the watch because he closed the door, minimizing the noise. He humbled himself by laying in the sawdust to be closer to the watch, quieted himself and listened.
It is imperative to daily take time away from the noise of the world, otherwise it will eventually cause you “spiritual” hearing loss and you will miss out on what God is saying to you. We must quiet ourselves to be able to clearly hear His still, small voice.
The world shouts, but God whispers.
Why not start your day by spending time with the Lord? (“O God, You are my God; Early will I seek You; my soul thirsts for You; my flesh longs for You in a dry and thirsty land where there is no water.” Psalm 63:1) Read a passage of Scripture and hear through it the life-giving words the Spirit is speaking to you. Let His presence still the deafening noise around you.
If you are not able to join us in person or will miss this Sunday’s Live broadcast on Facebook at 10:35am, the recording will be posted later that day right here at our Website as well as our YouTube channel. Please share these online resources with others so they can also be inspired and encouraged.
Update: Sunday morning Bible classes for all ages began again last Sunday. What a Blessing! Set your alarm clock an hour earlier and join us at 9:30am for a valuable study time. Let’s spend time in the Word!
Mahalo and Aloha ke Akua!