Listen. Be Heard.
“…they cried, and I would not hear, saith the LORD of hosts” (Zechariah 7:13)
How many times have you listened to the voice of God? Did you hear the still small voice telling you to report ALL of your income on the tax form? Did you hear Him gently telling you to pull out of the family feud? When He called you to study His Word, did you? Pray? Give? Serve? Witness?
A young boy had the bad habit of telling his mom, “Just a minute.” Mom grew frustrated with this lazy tendency. That little phrase kept him from dumping the trash on time, made him miss the bus a couple times, and once even caused the dog to go without food or water until supper time. One day, this child was out playing in the big tree in the backyard and his mother told him to come in and wash up for dinner.
“Just a minute, Mom,” he called back.
She let the screen door slam behind her as she groaned at his indifference to her commands. Back at the kitchen window, she watched him crawl through the lower branches like a monkey. Her blood began to boil as she watched him carry on like she didn’t exist. He pulled a little stunt by hanging upside down by his knees. Suddenly, she saw panic come over the child’s face as he fought to pull himself back up but couldn’t. Afraid he might fall on his head he cried out, “Mom! Help!”
Mom started to run out the door, then seeing that he wasn’t much more than a couple feet off the ground, she opened the window and called out, “Just a minute, Son.” After she got him down a few minutes later, he was miraculously cured of his just-a-minute habit.
God calls to humanity. “But they refused to hearken, and… stopped their ears …Therefore it is come to pass, that as he cried, and they would not hear; so they cried, and I would not hear, saith the LORD of hosts” (Zechariah 7:11, 13).
If it feels God can’t hear you, check to see if you are hearing Him.