Listening

Yesterday, following my service, I began to not feel well and that is why there was no blog entry yesterday.  I have also felt that I need to at times take a day away from blogging as a Sabbath.  So on Fridays I will be taking time off.  Also this week is the clergy conference for the Nebraska Annual Conference so it will be a challenge to continue to faithfully write.  I will be taking my laptop so that should not be a problem.

I was talking about 1 Samuel 3:1-10 and Psalm 139 yesterday and one of the questions was listening to the voice of God.  I know that in my life it can be difficult to know whether or not I am listening for God's direction and listening to my own desires.  I have come across a couple of things that I found helpful for me.  The first comes from a devotional, "Disciplines" done by the Upper Room.  We have given copies of this devotional for all of our committee chairs.  The devotion for today January 19 written by John Bardsley is based on Jonah 3:1-5, 10.

"God points to coming events through prophecy and by speaking directly to us.  Sometimes we don't hear the voice crying out to us.  Sometimes we listen to our more pressing needs.  We focus more on what we think our priorities are.

In the cartoon Non Sequiter [one of my favorite cartoons] a man stands on a street corner with a sign: 'The End is near!'  A man on the opposite corner also has a sign: 'The world ended and you're still in denial!'

When God speaks we get a reality check. Jonah did.  God told Jonah to carry God's message of destruction to Ninevah:  Jonah ran away.  He met up with a big fist, and God saved him by having the fish spit Jonah on the beach.  When God spoke to Jonah the second time, Jonah obeyed!  He went to the corrupt city of Ninevah and told them what God had said: 'Forty days more and Ninevah shall be overthrown.'

That's when Jonah got even a bigger surprise.  Ninevah responded to God's words by repenting and believing in God!  God had intended Ninevah's destruction.  God hadn't planned for Ninevah's repentance.  But God changed God's mind"

There is more to this than just this devotion.  Jonah did not want to go to Ninevah the capital of Assyria the enemy of Israel.  He was called to preach this destruction to the very people who enslaved his people.  No wonder he might have had some doubts about whether or not this was the voice of God.  On top of that even when God changed His mind, Jonah was pouting that Ninevah was not destroyed.

Listening to God will challenge all of our assumptions about what is right  When we are comfortable in our daily lives and begin to take things for granted, we may be in danger of thinking only of our own needs.  So when God intrudes in our lives, we may react like many of the prophets and Jonah even the disciples with disbelief.  We need to take care to not be swayed by those who preach a easy road but reflect on whether or not we are willing to be called by God which can radically change our lives.