I would like to pose some questions which I think you probably know the answer to, but I’ll ask them anyway – on the grounds that it’s good to stop and consider it. What do we do when we no longer want to hear what someone is telling us? Well, we have some options, don’t we? We can stop listening. We can perhaps get up and walk away, which may or may not be possible; if you want to keep your job, you may have to sit and listen to what the boss has to say, right? We can tell the person that we no longer want to hear what he or she has to say. We can argue. And then of course we can always listen, but then go and do what we wanted to do in the first place.
Now, ask yourself how many times you have employed all of those responses with God. The Lord speaks, but we sometimes just stop listening. The Lord moves in our hearts and tells us what to do, but we instead get up and walk away. The Lord says in His Word what He would have us to do, but instead we argue with the Lord. Other times we know what God is telling us to do and we know that it’s right, but we make a decision to go and do our own thing anyway. Whenever we take any of those responses the results will spell trouble for our relationship with Christ and our spiritual walk with Him. All of the above responses can be found among God’s people the Israelites. They reached a point where they did not want to hear the truth of God’s Word, but instead desired to hear what they wanted to hear. The Word of God gives us the truth; it makes no difference if we want to hear it or not. The truth will stand.
When you find yourself facing difficult times, resolve to be open to the truth of God's Word. The Lord will impart to us the strength, power, and encouragement we need to help us to stand firm and to keep us going in the right direction. We walk away from God at our own peril. Hold to the Lord and trust in Him at all times and in all circumstances. Stay with Christ, for with Him are the Words of eternal life.
