Shut up and just listen

But the Lord said to Samuel, “Have no regard for his appearance or stature, because I haven’t selected him. God doesn’t look at things like humans do. Humans see only what is visible to the eyes, but the Lord sees into the heart.” 1 Samuel 16:7

The Prophet Samuel thought he knew who God wanted to use on this day when he had traveled to see all of Jesse’s sons in Bethlehem. In just the same we often think we know who God will choose to work through, and when the message comes in a slightly different package we tend to have a hard time accepting it. Why is that? If God picked Jesse’s sheep-herding son, David, to be King then why do we think that he couldn’t use anyone to speak to us? Maybe it’s a status thing or maybe we tend to think that God can only speak through only very specific avenues. I believe that’s called “Putting God in a box” and believe me I too have done that many times in my life.

Last night, I had the chance to hang out with one of our young guitar players from my church and our conversation really ministered to me and gave me hope that there is still a remnant of the younger generation coming up behind me that have moral and biblical standards. It brought such joy to my heart to know that there are youngsters out there that stand for something that matters. We talked about the Chik-Fil-A buzz, gay marriage, the Bible, and our own personal struggles that we’ve experienced in life.  The really awesome thing was it wasn’t prompted or pushed by me; he wanted to discuss these things.

So what’s the moral of this story? "Shut up and just listen already", is what was reverberating inside me last night as I drove home after dropping off the vessel that God had chosen to speak to me through. So yes, I too have been guilty of overlooking God's plan for a plan that looks more like how I think God should move. I often have caught myself thinking internally, "really? God is going to use you to teach me something?" The short answer to that questions from God is generally, "Yes I can, and I will...Do you have a problem with that?"

So keep your eyes (and heart) open to all people God is big enough to use anyone to speak to us. Look at the package that God has placed before you and just ask Him, "Are you trying to show me something?" usually there's a lesson to be learned there. Take time to listen for a change (see James 1:19), you don’t always have to be the one talking and showing everyone how much you know. Sometimes just listening can be the gift that God was trying to give to you and you didn’t even realize you needed it.

Take Care & God Bless

-E