Tuned In

Have you ever had something that was great in theory, but in practice it really did not work out? When I was a kid (in the 90’s) my parents bought a conversion van. We were so excited because this was not just any conversion van – it came equipped with a small tube television. The concept was awesome, and we imagined long road trips with endless entertainment. But in practice, especially on road trips, a TV signal would get picked up when we went through a city, only to have it go blurry after a few minutes. The problem was that the old analog TV did not have a large enough antenna. It never lived up to its potential because it never consistently received a signal. I am convinced that many of us today are like that TV, failing to reach our potential because our listening capability is too limited.

Jesus said something profound in Luke 8:18: “ Take care then how you hear, for to the one who has, more will be given, and from the one who has not, even what he thinks that he has will be taken away.” In this passage, Jesus commands us to “take care” and it carries with it a sense of urgency. Take care now! Or you may just miss out on what God has for you. 

So how do we grow in our listening capacity? A meaningful way to do this is to begin with a posture of humility, asking yourself the question, “What is God saying to me right now?” or “What can I learn from this situation?” These questions apply to just about every interpersonal interaction that we have, along with sermons we listen to and books we read. I believe that the posture of James 1:19 being quick to listen and slow to speak allows us to approach each encounter that we have with a special sense of expectancy, asking “God, what do you have for me in this situation?”

If you are wrestling today with hearing the voice of God, I believe that this command to “take care” of how you hear is a wonderful reminder that we can get better at how we hear. I believe this is a skill we can get better at and which provides us with a wonderful opportunity to grow. I pray that at Hope we grow in our ability to tune in to the things that God has for us today. 

Expectantly, 

Shawn 

P.S. Please join me in praying for Neal Bockmiller whose wife Sharon passed away last week. The funeral will be held at Hope Church on Saturday morning at 10:00am. You can find the obituary here.