Do You Hear What I Hear?

My friend Chuck Gianotti who pastors a church in Rochester, NY sends along the following E-med(itation) today:

In the Book of the Revelation, the message to the seven churches is the same, "He who has ears to hear, let him hear!" Ben Patterson in "Deepening Your Conversation With God", illustrates how we tend to hear what we are attuned to:

Two men were pushing their way through the crowds in New York City's Times Square. They had to shout to each other to be heard above the din. One man was a native of New York, the other was a Native American from Oklahoma. The Native American stopped suddenly and said to his friend, "Listen! Can you hear the cricket?"

His friend thought it was a joke. "Are you kidding?" he laughed. "How could anyone hear a cricket in this bedlam? You just think you heard it." "No, I'm not kidding," he said. "Come over here." He walked over to a planter that was holding a large shrub and pointed at the dead leaves in the bottom. To his amazement, the New Yorker saw a cricket."You must have extraordinary ears," the New Yorker exclaimed. "No better than yours," said the Native American. "It all depends on what you're listening for. Watch this."

He reached into his pocket and pulled out a handful of nickels, dimes, and quarters. Then he dropped them on the sidewalk. People from as far as two blocks away stopped and turned to see where that sound had come from. "See what I mean?" he said. "It all depends on what you're listening for."

Chuck continues:

What are you attuned to? A desire for things of the world, will always cause you to turn your head at the latest titillation or late breaking news. But, a desire for the holy will cause us to be ever bending our ear in search and discover of God's voice in the events and interactions of our day; whether still and small in midst of storm or crying out in the barren wilderness. Jesus said, "My sheep hear my voice." (John 10:27).

Listen, today, right now. Can you hear his voice? Keep your ears attuned as you walk through this day, so that when you lay your head down tonight, you can say, "Yes, I heard God's voice today when..."

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