As I was reading tonight I came across Proverbs 4:20-27. I must say, I read through this once, and started to read on, but I stopped. As I looked again, I placed my name before each passage. I could clearly hear the Lord's voice simply saying, "Listen." I read over a few times and handed my bible to my son. I asked him to read and he gained different things from the passage than I. But isn't that what is amazing about God? He knows exactly what each of us need to hear. We just have to be willing to stop and listen.
"My child, pay attention to what I say. Listen carefully to my words. Don't lose sight of them. Let the penetrate deep into your heart, for they bring life to those who find them, and healing to their whole body. Guard your heart above all else, for it determines the course of your life. Avoid all perverse talk; stay away from corrupt speech. Look straight ahead, and fix your eyes on what lies before you. Mark out a straight path for your feet; stay on the safe path. Don't get sidetracked; keep your feet from following evil."
All He wants is our attention. He wants us to not just hear and let it move on out like the wind, but really focus on His word. What comes out of our mouths is what lies in our heart. Those actions that we think no one sees? Those too are deep within our heart. He is asking us to make room for His word and allow it to saturate our heart. Without our heart we could not live. It is the essence of life. Just as His word is. His word brings life. His word is life. His word should be the heartbeat of our life.
He wants us to get it the first time. He wants us to take our time with Him and really listen. We can focus on our attention on everything we want. Put in pretty purse in my vision and I am fixed there. Put on a football game and we are glued until the last quarter. It's like the flutter of a hummingbird. We never really know they are there until all is quiet and we hear the beating of their wings. We focus in on the sound and then we see the beauty before us.
What happens as we enter that last quarter of life and we stand before Him wishing we would have listened? What happens when we have no other second chance to hear His word penetrate our heart? Will we see all those blessings we missed? Will we watch as those missed opportunities flash before us? All we have to do is listen. Doesn't He deserve our attention? All we have to do is back up, take a second look and we will hear His sweet whisper before us. He wants to spend time with us. Do you hear Him? As we ask our children to listen to our every word, might we remember to listen to the words our Father.
