Look! I stand at the door and knock. If you hear my voice and open the door, I will come in, and we will share a meal together as friends.
Revelation 3:20 NLT
One day last winter I became distracted by a background sound, which while not loud, was constant and invaded my consciousness. After a long, exasperating search, I eventually tracked the source to a heating valve. A simple adjustment and what had become a significant distraction was dealt with. Once again, I could hear silence and the regular sounds of our home.
Listening to God is a bit like that. God’s faint knocking is persistent in the background, seeking to attract our attention. However, with so many distractions demanding our consideration, legitimately and illegitimately, it’s all too often lost within the cacophony of sounds that fill our lives. These are the daily demands of work, family, friendship and fun. The anxieties that besiege us together with the fears we each carry. This is one key reason we can feel as though God is silent. The immediate pressures from daily life do the work of God’s enemy and direct our focus away from God.
It is only as we begin to seek after that dim knocking that we seek out God’s voice. Like tracking down my faulty radiator valve, I’ve to go in search of just where exactly I am to hear God’s voice, which is a test of my patience and my desire. I am now very relaxed with the fact that I have no clue where and how I’ll hear God each day. One thing’s for sure, I am seeking to listen in each and every moment.
God’s voice is not something to be ignored, although it may be distinctly discomforting. So, the invitation becomes clear: will you pause and listen, discern what God is saying and open your heart and life to what God has for you?
QUESTION
How aware are you of that faint knocking that calls for your attention?
PRAYER
Speak, Lord, for your servant is listening.
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