MAY 23, 2023
ON THE PORCH
CAN YOU HEAR IT?!?!?
**But from there you will search again for the Lord your God. And if you search for Him with all your heart and soul, you will find Him. Deuteronomy 4:29
While I was in our pickup waiting for Benny to go inside McDonald’s and get our coffee the other day, this man drove by on his ice cream cart. He waved and went on, but I started thinking about all the times we chased down the man in Levelland who pushed his ice cream cart. When I say chased down, I literally mean hunted, stalked, then pounced on. Once in a while, it would include wildly waving our arms while hanging out the window and shouting to get his attention, but I’m really not proud of that.
We were newlyweds and Benny was a meter reader for SPS. On hot days, sometimes he would pass the young man selling ice cream and would indulge himself with a coconut-flavored popsicle. These treats were from Old Mexico, and Benny swore they were the best made ever.
On super-hot days, I got to get in on the action and accompany him along in his endeavors. Because Benny read meters, he knew almost every inch of Levelland, and he and his “Ice Cream friend” crossed paths frequently. By the end of the first summer, Benny knew the approximate location of the refreshment cart at any given time. He would meet me after work, and we literally hung our heads out the window listening for the bell. If we thought we heard it to the left or right, we would head that way. Because we were so desperate for this man’s delight, we endured (probably looking like fools at the time) until we found him.
The title of my scheduled daily devo this morning was “You Have To Want To Hear from God.” It got me thinking about these ice cream escapades.
We wanted those treats, and we wanted them bad. So, we were willing to spend gas, time, and money and look like fools to chase him down and pleasure our taste buds. Why can’t I do that with God and His Word? He has laid it out plainly, just as this man had a set route every day. God hasn’t hidden anything from me. He wrote me a love letter to show how much He loves me and wants to spend time together. Then those thoughts led to the ringing bell. If I tuned my heart into God’s voice as we tuned our ears to the repeating chime of the ice cream cart, I would hear Him speak more often and more plainly.
As it is, I go to God with my list. Like Santa, I go down the list and ask Him to take care of “all the things” for me. Rarely do I go without asking for anything and even rarer is the occasions I just sit and listen to Him. I do all the talking, and when I have said all I came to say, I’m done and move on.
Check and check.
“When all the circuits are busy, you need to get quiet.” – Rick Warren, Hearing the Voice of God
What I need is to listen long enough to hear His voice, loud and strong. I want His thoughts to overshadow mine and His will be bigger than my will.
**Find a quiet, secluded place so you won’t be tempted to role-play before God. Just be there as simply and honestly as you can manage. The focus will shift from you to God, and you will begin to sense His grace.” Matthew 5:5 MSG
Again…intentionality…”FIND” a quiet spot, even if it means setting a timer and twiddling my thumbs for a little bit. If I continue to seek Him, He will speak to me. If I don’t feel like I hear anything, I try again and again and again. I must put away the distractions and noise of the world. And sometimes I must set down my to-do list, the remote, the phone, the laptop, the kindle, and the headphones playing podcasts. It is essential to quiet everything in my physical atmosphere so that my soul can settle in and be still. Praise music is a good prelude to listening, as it prepares my heart for worship.
** “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.’ The second is this: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no commandment greater than these.” Mark 12:30-31
When Jesus said this, He included our heart, soul, mind, and strength. We cannot listen to God with only our minds or just our hearts. Our souls wither and dry out when we don’t seek God. We come as a package deal. Nothing is sold separately.
God created us special and will speak to each of our hearts in the language He created within us if we seek Him. I have a friend who loves yard work. It is her worship and where she hears God best. I know another who never turns music off, it feeds her soul. Others’ hearts and minds are opened by reading or listening to the Word above all else. Personally, God speaks loudest to me through pictures, and I try to capture as much of life in snapshots as I can. I have hundreds of thousands of pictures. God whispers His love in sunrises, sunsets, loved ones, odd stuff, and anything else that comes along. Many times, my family has had to stop or turn around to capture something that fired that synapsis in my mind. God is SO creative and the list goes on, but the important part is to listen.
That’s it, just listen. The rest is on Him! He supplies the refreshments, He brings the joy, and He provides the nourishment we need. Our part is just to hear the call and obey.
So today, ride shotgun with me. Let’s hang our heads out the window looking like idiots, tune our ears into the ringing bell, and follow the direction it leads in obedience! God is waiting to speak!
LORD God, help me set everything else aside and listen for Your voice today.
“Still my soul,
quiet my mind,
and settle my heart.”
Give me the desire to listen for Your voice alone. Amen
I WILL LISTEN
~~ Even now, 25 years later, Benny practically drools when those frozen coconut treats are mentioned.
ON THE PORCH 