Sunday's Coming

Good morning,

I pray all is well with you. I want to thank you for all your prayers, e-mails, phone calls and concern for my upcoming surgery. I know God is listening.

My sermon last week was on "Listening to God" I would like to continue that thought this morning.

“A four-year-old girl was overheard whispering into her baby brother’s ear, ‘Baby,' she whispers, 'tell me what God sounds like. I am starting to forget.'"

Seeking God requires listening, and listening is hard work. It takes energy, patience, time, effort, and most of all, silence. And, while most of us are okay with the energy, patience, time and effort, we shudder at the thought of being silent and quickly find ways of filling the widening void.

In silence, the hurts, pains, rejections and failures we have pushed away come rushing back. In silence, the voices of those who have authority over us can seem to overpower us. In silence, worry and fear linger strangely near us. But consider the paradox offered by Mother Teresa, “God is the friend of silence.” Elijah learned this while hiding away in a cave. Expecting God to show Himself in loud and magnificent ways, Elijah was offered instead the still, small whisper of God. Psalm 46:10 reads, “Be still and know that I am God.” The truth is, things are born in quiet that cannot be heard in the din of our overly verbal days.

Consider your day. Is it full of noise? Do radio, TV, Internet, iPods and other fillers clutter your mind with excess noise? Even good things can become clutter if they distract us from times of quiet.

Today, I challenge you to “unplug. Leave the cell phone and iPod at home and take a walk. Resist the temptation to speak. Walk in silence and ask God to speak to you. Become aware of the small joys you may have forgotten, like the sound of children playing in the distance, the sound of a bird or squirrel chattering in a tree, or even listen to your own heartbeat.

If you’re in need of a little more encouragement today, click here for a reminder about the power of purpose.

I continue to stand in awe of God and how He leads and provides for us. Thank you for your support in prayers and finances; without you we couldn't afford to go on.

Have a great day, love you, pass it on.
Don