A young man who lived in rural Montana was visiting a college friend in New York City. On their way to lunch one day, amidst the noise and clamor of Manhattan, the young man commented to his friend, “I hear a cricket.” Keep in mind hundreds of people were milling about, traffic was rolling by, complete with horns, squealing brakes, and shouting motorists. Nearby, a large building was being renovated and the din of construction only added to the cacophony. “There is no way there’s a cricket within a hundred miles of here,” his friend replied. Yet the young man insisted he heard a cricket, and tilting his head, he listened attentively.
After a few moments the visitor to the city crossed the street to a small park, and began scratching at the soil beneath a bush. In a few moments, he was holding a small, black cricket. “Incredible!” shouted his resident friend. “You must have extraordinary ears to have made that out among all this.”
“Not really,” the young man said. “My ears are the same as yours; it just depends on what you’re listening to. Let me show you.” With that, the two men returned to the sidewalk, and the man from Montana reached into his pocket and pulled out a handful of change. He gently tossed the coins down on the concrete, each one making a nearly inaudible trickle as it landed; yet every nearby head turned. Many pedestrians stopped, and some even bent down and began rooting around for the money.
Today, God is still speaking to us through His Holy Spirit. The question becomes: what are we listening to? Are we so tuned into this world with all the temptations and distractions it offers that we cannot hear anything else, including His call?
Isaiah 40:21 asks us: Haven’t you heard? Don’t you understand? Are you deaf to the words of God— the words he gave before the world began?
Maybe the prophet is telling us it’s time to switch channels. For while we may not always be listening for Him, He is watching and listening for us. The prophecy goes on to say in verses 26 and 27: Look up into the heavens. Who created all the stars? He brings them out like an army, one after another, calling each by its name. Because of his great power and incomparable strength, not a single one is missing. O Jacob, how can you say the LORD does not see your troubles?
God may be the Creator of all things, yet He still has time and a message for each of us. And all we have to do is stop, look, and listen.
See you at The Praise Connection, Wednesdays 6:00 p.m. at the Friendship House. “Come hungry!”
Shalom,
Tim
