My Heavenly King, You say in Psalm 95 “Today, if You hear my voice, do not harden Your heart.” A hardened heart is as useless as a dry, hardened piece of modeling clay. Nothing can restore it and make it useful again. In Your words, You warn me against the hardening of my heart by continued resistance to Your will. You do not want me to think You will not come through for me when I have a need and lose faith in You. When my heart becomes hardened, I become so stubborn and set in my ways that I cannot repent and amend them. This stubborn resistance to You does not happen all of a sudden. It results from a series of choices to disregard Your will in my life. If I persist long enough, You will be forced to cast me aside like hardened bread that is useless and worthless. It becomes very hard to bow down and worship You when my heart is hardened toward You.
In the book of Revelation, You say to each of the seven churches “He who has ear, let him hear what the Spirit says.” In Your letters You share principles that should guide them going forward. To one You explain how to overcome through believing in and living for You. To another You remind them of the benefits of salvation and the punishment due to unbelievers. To the third You reveal that You are manna send from Heaven to help them grow spiritually. To another You explain that in their bleakest moments You will protect them from evil and dispense promised rewards. To the fifth You stress the importance in growing their knowledge of You and thereby deepening their understanding of truth. To another You explain that being lukewarm is no better than being cold. To the last church You tell them to cling to their Christian truths. To each You urge “hearers” to listen and take heart to what You say.
In undergoing my own experiences in listening to You I have discovered these constants. First, I need some “alone time” with You to eliminate the “noises” of daily life and focus on what You have to share with me. Another important step is to read Your Word and concentrate on what You are saying about it fitting into my life. I need not only be a reader of Your words but one who actively seeks how to put them to work in my life. If I do not hear Your voice, I should ask for the help of the Holy Spirit in hearing what You are saying that impacts me. In yearning to hear Your voice, I must patiently endure and remain faithful to You. The secret to a close relationship with You is to find a time in my day to meet with You. Regular communication with You makes discerning Your voice easier. The reason that hearing You speak is so important is because my well-being depends on it. And it’s in Jesus’ name I pray. AMEN!!
Proverbs 4:20-22 My son, pay attention to what I say; listen closely to my words. Do not let them out of your sight, keep them within your heart; for they are life to those who find them and health to a man’s whole body.