Just listen

I recently found a forum posted by tech gurus about issues relating to fire truck siren usage. Their arguments against sirens related to noise pollution, new vehicle sound proofing, their personal desires to listen to loud music, and the fact that inattentive drivers probably won't see the lights and hear the sirens anyway.
Their solutions? Well, they ranged in everything from an FM signal which overtakes the audio in your vehicle to a GPS signal which tells vehicle drivers the exact location of approaching emergency vehicles.

The problem with these approaches? Both of these ideas (and everything in between that was also presented) rely entirely on the problem in the first place... the lack of attention drivers pay while on the road. That doesn't even take into account that these new tech concepts presented on the forum rely on every single vehicle on the road being purchased with or retrofitted with said devices.

The truth, my friends, is that we do not need new fancy gadgets and upgraded technologies to know that their is an approaching emergency vehicle. We need just look and listen.

I often think about how many gadgets I utilize in order to know God's desire in my life. When searching, I often listen to music, pray directly to God, or listen to the perspectives of my wife and friends. None of these are particularly bad, but I have begun to think that it may not be the easiest way to seek out God's desire in our lives. Maybe these words will shed some light on a new way to see and hear God in this very busy world.

1 Kings 19; The LORD said, "Go out and stand on the mountain in the presence of the LORD, for the LORD is about to pass by." Then a great and powerful wind tore the mountains apart and shattered the rocks before the LORD, but the LORD was not in the wind. After the wind there was an earthquake, but the LORD was not in the earthquake. After the earthquake came a fire, but the LORD was not in the fire. And after the fire came a gentle whisper. When Elijah heard it, he pulled his cloak over his face and went out and stood at the mouth of the cave. Then a voice said to him, "What are you doing here, Elijah?" In other words, all Elijah had to do was listen.

1 Samuel 3; In a time when words from the Lord were rare, Samuel heard the Lord call his name. Three times he believed it was Eli calling to him. After being told that it may be the Lord calling, he lies down and waits for the voice again. Samuel heard the words of the Lord and listened. The story ends with these words: The LORD was with Samuel as he grew up, and he let none of his words fall to the ground. In other words, Samuel heard the voice of the Lord because he was listening for him, even in a time when words from the Lord were rare.

So, in my own life, when I need to hear a word from the Lord, should I approach my friends and talk to them? Should I listen to the words of Christian music artists? Should I open the Bible and read? Perhaps all of the above. I am hearing more and more people talk about how hearing a word from the Lord is rare in this day and age. That has been the case in many ages past and probably will be in many ages in the future. But if you want to hear the Lord's voice, all you need to do is listen.

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What have you been hearing from the Lord lately?
What times in your life have you heard the word most clearly? What was the environment around you?
Does God even talk to us anymore like he did back then?


I just wanted to take a few moments to thank those of you who have recently told me you enjoy these blog posts. I enjoy writing them and figured I would post with or without others' promptings. However, if you are enjoying what you read, don't hesitate to subscribe to the postings! I look forward to hearing more of your comments here on the blog, on Facebook, on Twitter, or in person!