Did you hear about the man who bragged that he had just purchased the
finest hearing aid available?
A friend asked, "What kind is it?"
The first man replied, "Oh, about
2:30."
Sometimes we don't hear nearly as well as we
think -- especially when it comes to hearing God's call on our lives.
When you are having trouble hearing the best
thing to do is to move a little closer. Can
you imagine trying to hear better by moving farther away? Sometimes we tend to move away from God when we are having
trouble listening to his voice. We
don’t want to know what he has to say.
Listening is when we hear and obey someone’s call.
Are we listening to God?
Before you will be able to hear God, you will
have to get together with Him. How
will we be able to get together with him?
He has a plan to bring you together with himself so that you will be
able to listen.
1Kin 19:9 (KJS)
And he came thither unto a cave, and lodged there; and, behold, the word of
the LORD [came] to him, and he said unto him, What doest thou here, Elijah?
10 And he said, I have been very jealous for the LORD God of hosts: for the
children of Israel have forsaken thy covenant, thrown down thine altars, and
slain thy prophets with the sword; and I, [even] I only, am left; and they
seek my life, to take it away. 11 And he said, Go forth, and stand upon the
mount before the LORD. And, behold, the LORD passed by, and a great and
strong wind rent the mountains, and brake in pieces the rocks before the
LORD; [but] the LORD [was] not in the wind: and after the wind an
earthquake; [but] the LORD [was] not in the earthquake: 12 And after the
earthquake a fire; [but] the LORD [was] not in the fire: and after the fire
a still small voice.13 And it was [so], when Elijah heard [it], that he
wrapped his face in his mantle, and went out, and stood in the entering in
of the cave. And, behold, [there came] a voice unto him, and said, What
doest thou here, Elijah? 14 And he said, I have been very jealous for the
LORD God of hosts: because the children of Israel have forsaken thy
covenant, thrown down thine altars, and slain thy prophets with the sword;
and I, [even] I only, am left; and they seek my life, to take it away. 15
And the LORD said unto him, Go, return on thy way to the wilderness of
Damascus: and when thou comest, anoint Hazael [to be] king over Syria: 16
And Jehu the son of Nimshi shalt thou anoint [to be] king over Israel: and
Elisha the son of Shaphat of Abelmeholah shalt thou anoint [to be] prophet
in thy room.
1.
God
will come to you when you are ready
to listen. He will have patience
and wait for the right time. You
can run but you can’t hide. Remember
Jonah tried.
2.
God
will provide for you the strength
that you need for the task the task is to hear and obey the Lord.
This is listening to God. God
fed Elijah and he walked for 40 days on that strength.
3.
God
will call you out of
your hiding place or place of security to send you on to do his will.
Come out here and say that. He
will challenge you to face him up front.
What are you doing here?
4.
God
will listen to your complaints.
Do you want a little cheese to go with your whine?
He will hear what you have to say and then he will expect you to hear
him. God has enhance prayer 911.
He can listen to everyone at the same time.
Will you hear him. What
are you doing here? Did you
forget that I am the only true living God?
Do you remember what I can do?
An
article in the November 1987 Reader's Digest reminded me of the truth that God
is quick to hear and answer when we call upon Him in our need.
It was about "enhanced 911," an important addition to the
emergency telephone call program. Where
this system is in operation, a person who dials 911 doesn't have to tell the
operator his location. His name,
address, and phone number appears immediately on an operator's screen.
"Enhanced 911" has been a dramatic success.
For example, a 6-year- old boy called 911 to report that his house was
on fire. Even while the operator was telling the frightened boy what to do,
fire equipment was being sent. A
terrified girl called to say that a man was trying to break into her home.
Within 3 minutes an arrest was being made and the child was safe.
And in another city, a girl whispered to a 911 operator that a man was
hurting her mother, and then hung up. Police
arrived in time to capture a rapist.
God too hears the cries of His people.
Whenever we call on Him, and from whatever situation, we can know that
He is listening and that He answers.
5.
God
will get your attention and
let you know that he is still the only true living God.
He still has the power over heaven and earth.
He can still break the rocks into, he can still shake up your safe
world, and he can still fire you up until you are ready to listen to him. He
wants you to know that he is still in control of your life and your world.
He is the Lord. Now,
What are you doing here? Do
you remember that I ONLY I am able to stop the rain and send the floods?
6.
God
will reveal himself to you.
When you see the Lord he will then
take you to the place he wants you to be.
He will speak to you and you will hear, because at that time you are
ready to listen. Hear and obey
what the Lord has to say. He will
let you know that he is still able to do absolutely anything.
What are you doing here? Are
you ready to move on out and get busy doing the will of God in your life?
7.
God
wants you to move on out. Get
busy getting back to the will of God in your life.
Hey don’t think that he has forgotten about you.
You are important to him. So
he is standing on the edge of your cave saying come on out.
I am here for you. If you
are ready ot move out with the Lord then he is ready to move out with you.
Elijah
listened to God. Are you ready to
listen to the Lord? He has
prepared the way for you to listen. Are
you really listening?
Larry King wasn't hosting his talk show, he was the guest on
a talk show. But the host wasn't
really paying very close attention to what Mr. King was saying.
She asked questions but she wasn't listening to the answers.
She was busy lining up the next question.
Well, King
noticed what was going on and it irritated him.
So when she asked, "What's the secret of being a good talk show
host?" King began to have
fun. He said something to the
effect, "Well, my secret is that I'm a secret agent for the CIA.
They pay for the guests and pay me to send out secret messages over the
air each night."
The
hostess was fiddling with her notes and stuff and didn't even notice.
Instead she went right on as if nothing happened and said, "That's
great. What's the secret of getting great speakers?"
Her crew
and staff, on the other hand, were going crazy.
It pays to pay attention. It
pays to look out and see what's going on around you.
Don't miss God's message. Don't
miss God's great gift of grace.