2015!! It strikes me as odd to be so far into the 21st century already. It seems like just yesterday we hit 2000 and everyone was afraid that our computers wouldn’t run. Remember Y2K? Silliness! I thought it was silly at the time but supposedly we had numerous experts that were concerned. Fear is so media driven. News can be spread too quickly and false information is believed without checking it out. I’m constantly surprised how many people are duped into believing everything they read and hear in the news. Maybe I’m just a skeptic. I am sure that I have been fooled many times over the years too. However, I tend not to send on any questionable news items especially if they are inflammatory towards one political party or another. The problem is that I still read them myself and I wonder how much they affect my thinking even when I know they are false. When you hear something bogus over and over, repetition moves your mind away from the truth. It’s so important to step back from the craziness of our media world whether it be our news media or social media. We must listen to voices of truth to keep our minds clear and open. Study the Bible, read classical literature, pay attention to older, wiser people in our lives, pray and listen for God’s direction. There is so much noise in our world that we can’t make out the voices that should be holding our attention. They are all but drowned out.
In this new year, I wantto intentionally listen: listen to words of wisdom from seasoned voices, listen to God’s word, listen to the sounds of nature, listen to beautiful music. I want to just take the time to listen. But to really do this I must turn off the noise. I can’t be totally out of the world’s noise but I can limit it. I will deliberately put down my smart phone for a good face to face conversation. I will turn off the computer for a good book. I will read the Bible one chapter a day beginning at the beginning with Genesis. I purchased the Moody Bible Commentary over Christmas to help me study. But most of all, I will focus my attention on things above and listen for God’s direction. He speaks often in a still, small voice that can be difficult to hear through the noise of daily life. I must tune my ear to Him like tuning a radio to a certain channel. Static can certainly muffle the sound. But I know that if I begin to tune out the silly, unimportant things of this world and listen intently, I will hear God speaking. I have heard Him before and I have faith that He will speak again. He’s probably trying to speak to me right now but I’m not hearing Him. I’m like the boy Samuel in the Bible. God spoke to him 3 times before He recognized His voice. Only after the priest Eli told him to answer God by saying, “Speak, Lord, for your servant is listening,” did God reveal to Samuel a great prophecy.
So I pray: In this new year, open my ears, Lord so I am able to hear you over the rabble. Let me not just listen but act. Direct my paths so I may walkwith you. Speak Lord, for your servant is listening.
2015!! It strikes me as odd to be so far into the 21st century already. It seems like just yesterday we hit 2000 and everyone was afraid that our computers wouldn’t run. Remember Y2K? Silliness! I thought it was silly at the time but supposedly we had numerous experts that were concerned. Fear is so media driven. News can be spread too quickly and false information is believed without checking it out. I’m constantly surprised how many people are duped into believing everything they read and hear in the news. Maybe I’m just a skeptic. I am sure that I have been fooled many times over the years too. However, I tend not to send on any questionable news items especially if they are inflammatory towards one political party or another. The problem is that I still read them myself and I wonder how much they affect my thinking even when I know they are false. When you hear something bogus over and over, repetition moves your mind away from the truth. It’s so important to step back from the craziness of our media world whether it be our news media or social media. We must listen to voices of truth to keep our minds clear and open. Study the Bible, read classical literature, pay attention to older, wiser people in our lives, pray and listen for God’s direction. There is so much noise in our world that we can’t make out the voices that should be holding our attention. They are all but drowned out.
