A few days ago, while watching my daughter on her baby monitor, I noticed she would startle every few seconds. At first, I was confused. Then I stopped what I was doing, stood still, and was able to hear the loud humming of a lawn mower. I wondered, "How long has this sound been going in the background but I just didn't notice?"
In this moment, the Lord began to speak a flood of wisdom! In that still small voice, I heard the words,
"It's time to turn down the noise of the world around you, and tune in to my voice."
You see the sound of the lawn mower outside was always within range to hear, I just was just too busy to recognize or notice it. As you are reading this, stop for a moment. If you pause, I can assure you there are sounds going unnoticed in the background. It can be the hum of your heating unit, the sounds of birds outside your window, or music playing. Whatever the sounds are, our minds have the amazing ability to block out audio that aren't the focus of our attention. Any parent can relate to the superhuman ability you have to drown out the sound of children talking or whining!
However, what would happen if you chose to turn down the noise of the world around you. The noise of your critics, the noise of the world around you, the noise of being constantly busy, the noise of your own insecurities, the noise of the enemy trying to destroy you.
What if….
What if instead you tuned into what the Lord is speaking. Just like the lawn mower in the background, God can be trying to speak to you but you are too distracted to recognize the sound. Furthermore, it was only the one who was still (my sleeping daughter) who was truly tuned in to the sound. I have learned that we have to make a choice what we choose to hear and what we actually choose to process and live in our heart. Many hear, but few take time to listen.
The Bible says it like this "He who has ears to hear, let him hear." (Matthew 11:15)
This phrase is repeated several times in the Bible because God wants to make it clear that not everyone has ears to hear. For many we have grown accustomed to hearing the wrong voices. For instance, we have allowed people to speak negativity over us. We have allowed the enemy to make us think God doesn't care or even exist. We have listened to the voice of our culture to dictate how we receive and comprehend the very word of God. All of this just endless, useless NOISE.
God is saying to you today will you TUNE IN?
Will you make a choice to follow His voice only. His voice will speak hope, victory, and love over your life. It is not looking to condemn you or make you feel "less than." His voice will never encourage you to be full on anger, jealous, bitter, or foul to others. His voice will only lead to your victory!
Seek Him daily. Immerse yourself in prayer and worship. This is how you will learn to recognize His voice in the midst of the noise of life. The Lord says, "My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me." (John 10:27)
FRIENDS, Let's use today to tune in! Ask the Lord what you can do to lean in more to His voice. Need some tips on hearing God's voice check out the post on Hearing God's voice!