by Betty Carter
One very cold day in TN, the snow was falling. Roofs were covered in snow. Squirrels scampered on the roof in the snow in a game of chase. In my attempt to feed them , I scattered nuts on the roof . They did not seem to hear or see! They were in the presence of gourmet food and kept on scampering! I was reminded that so many times , I often do not see or hear , but go mindlessly through the day! I take better care of my physical body than my Spirit! I neglect my Spiritual senses! CS Lewis says”You don’t have a spirit . You are a soul. You have a body.” With our physical senses we live. But what about our Spirits? God communicates . Do we hear Him? Do we see Him? Your first thought is “ I wish I could !”
John Piper reminds us, that God speaks all the time and there are glimpses of Him everywhere! Like the squirrels, we are too busy to see and hear! God creates us in His image to communicate with Him. He uses the physical to show us Who He is! He ignites our Spirit to see Him and enjoy Him! John Piper says,” Have you experienced glimpses of God? You have! Every sunrise, every sunset, twitter of hummingbirds, splendor of cardinals, flamboyant blue jays, roaring waves and rushing waters, soft baby skin, a smile, a hug, the taste of mouth-watering food, music that quickens our emotional chords, smells of pine and warm vanilla , the sun on our faces, laughing until it becomes tears! That’s our God, showing Who He is!!! He loves what He made and wants us to love and enjoy Him, the Creator! Our response becomes praise and gratitude, authentic worship!
Another way we hear God is through the conviction of sin. God is perfect and cannot allow sin into heaven or His presence because it would then be flawed .Cain,”Friend in Jesus” says, We don’t need a Savior if we are not aware of our sin. That’s God! He draws us to His presence as we receive the “Paid in all” price Jesus paid on the cross! As we accept the gift of forgiveness through Jesus with contrite hearts, and repent of our sin, we are made alive to His Spirit. We are awakened to her and see what He is showing us of Himself!!!! We are truly alive in our spirit to see and hear rather than merely existing.
Father, empty me of myself and cultivate my sprit by Your Spirit to truly see and hear. For then, my praise and gratitude become alive!
The old Railroad crossing slogan has some valuable truths for us as Christ Followers.
Stop-Look-Listen
Stop: Psalm 46:10 Be still and know that I am God.
We need to realign our hearts and minds to our creator. Who He is and how Faithful He is.
Look: Psalm 119.18; Open my eyes, that I may see
Wondrous things from Your law.
Psalm 119:105; Your word is a lamp to my feet And a light to my path.
Psalm 119:130;The entrance of Your words gives light;
It gives understanding to the simple.
Listen: John 10:27; My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me.
1 Kings 19:11-12: Then He said, “Go out, and stand on the mountain before the LORD.” And behold, the LORD passed by, and a great and strong wind tore into the mountains and broke the rocks in pieces 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
So are we listening is the question or are we too busy to stop, look and listen?
The truth of God’s Word speaks clearly. Thank you
So true! Sometimes we are so busy trying to interpret our own daily lives that we don’t hear nor see what God is doing! We definitely need to talk to him more but We must listen with Clarity in order to see or hear him. We must practice patience.!
Our God waits so patiently for us to acknowledge and bless his name for our multitude of blessings.
So true, yes God is everywhere if you choose to see 🥰