Weekday Devotionals

Verse:  "But blessed are your eyes because they see, and your ears because they hear. For truly I tell you, many prophets and righteous people longed to see what you see but did not see it, and to hear what you hear but did not hear it." Matthew 13:16-17 
  
Thought: Many people assume that God will only reveal Himself in some spectacular physical way. I've heard it often stated that had I been around when God brought the Israelites out of Egypt, seen the miracles Jesus did, or witnessed all the extraordinary things that transpired in the Bible I would not have been a part of the crowd that doubted. We would all like to think so. Unfortunately, our history as humans has not proved that even God coming to Earth as a man will cause every person to turn from their sin and follow Him. The people being addressed in this verse were taught about the coming Messiah since they were children. They were listening to the words directly from this long awaited King, and though our New Testament is written by those few who followed Christ because they lived while He walked the Earth; most of our Bible is written by individuals that did not see Him, but they trusted Him. They knew that even if their own lives came to an end, without seeing the full fulfillment of this promise, that God was going to do it. Could it be possible that what we are expecting is not actually what God plans to do? Is it possible that we are waiting for God to show up with a loud thunder, a violent wind, or a fiery chariot, and yet we can hear His still small voice, and ignore it? Perhaps the best thing we can do is be still and just listen. 
 
Application/Challenge: What are your expectations of God? How often have you stopped to just listen for the gentle whisper of God? In your prayer time today, try listening more than speaking. Jot down what you hear.

- Pastor Aaron