July 26, 2012
Listening to God in the Little Things
Sharon Jaynes
Today’s Truth
“He wakens me morning by morning, wakens my ear to listen like one being taught. The Sovereign LORD has opened my ears, and I have not been rebellious; I have not drawn back” (Isaiah 50:4-5 NIV).
Friend to Friend
One of my favorite devotion books My Utmost for His Highest by Oswald Chambers. On October tenth, he wrote, “All God’s revelations are sealed until they are opened to us by obedience. You will never get them open them through philosophy or thinking. But once you obey, a flash of light comes immediately. ...Obey God in the thing He shows you, and instantly the next thing is opened up…God will never reveal more truth about himself until you have obeyed what you already know.”
We must never fall into the trap of thinking that God will always give us “big” things to do. Jesus…took a towel and …began to wash the disciples’ feet…” (John 13:3-5). Through his act of servant leadership, he demonstrated the obedience we should have on a daily basis in the mundane activities of everyday life. Yes, he raised the dead, but he also washed the feet.
One evening Steve and I were on our way to dinner. Just before we arrived, I saw three teenage girls walking into another restaurant in the same area where we were going to eat. One of the girls had been in a small group I had led for two years. I felt God nudging me to go into the restaurant and pay for their dinners.
“Steve, there’s Christine,” I said. “I believe God wants me to pay for those girls’ dinners.”
Steve, being a man who listens to God, whipped the car around and headed toward the door.
“Hi girls,” I said as I walked up to them in line.
“Hi Mrs. Jaynes. What are you doing here?”
“May I take your order?” the cashier interrupted.
“Go ahead girls,” I urged. “You go first.”
Each girl ordered and then the cashier turned to me. “And you ma’am.
“Oh, I’m not having anything. I just came in to pay for these girls’ dinners.”
The threesome were very surprised and very appreciative. I ran back out to our car, feeling a warm sense of listening and obeying.
The next day, Christine called. “Mrs. Jaynes,” she said “thank you so much for paying for our dinners last night. My friends were so touched. No one has ever done anything like that for any of us before. See, last night, they wanted to go out to dinner, but I told them I couldn’t afford it. So they were going to pay for mine. Then you came in and well…thanks.
Obeying God only cost me $19.95, but the lesson to Christine, and her two friends was invaluable. Jesus said, “Give and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over, will be poured into your lap. For with the measure you use, it will be measured to you” (Luke 6:38).
Obeying God begins with heeding the simple nudges. Don’t be afraid! Many people are afraid to obey those nudges because they aren’t absolutely sure it is God’s voice. I’ve decided that if the inner prompting lines up with Scripture and is consistent with God’s character and ways, then I’d rather err on the side of obedience that the side of caution.
“We all have those times when there are no flashes of light and no apparent thrill to life, where we experience nothing but the daily routine with its common everyday tasks….Don’t always expect God to give you His thrilling moments, but learn to live in those common times of the drudgery of life by the power of God….I must realize that my obedience even in the smallest detail of life has all the omnipotent power of the grace of God behind it” (O. Chambers June 15). “If I obey Jesus Christ in the seemingly random circumstances of life, they become pinholes through which I see the face of God” (O. Chambers November 2).
My prayer is that I will be able to say like the prophet Isaiah, “He wakens me morning by morning, wakens my ear to listen like one being taught. The Sovereign LORD has opened my ears, and I have not been rebellious; I have not drawn back” (Isaiah 50:4-5).
Let’s Pray
Dear Lord, I’m listening. Speak to me. Nudge me. I will not be rebellious. I will not draw back.
In Jesus’ Name, Amen.
Now It’s Your Turn
Today, I encourage you to pay attention to any way that God might be nudging you to be His hands and feet.
Then join me on my blog page, look for this devotion’s entry, and tell me what happened. I can hardly wait. Don’t feel uncomfortable telling me. Don’t feel like you’re tooting your own horn. I just want to toot my party horn in celebration of your obedience!
More from the Girlfriends
One of my greatest passions is to become a woman who listens to God. If you would like to sharpen your God-listening skills, check out my book, Becoming a Woman who Listens to God.It is not a matter of whether or not God speaks. It is a matter of whether or not we will listen.
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Originally published Thursday, 26 July 2012.
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