ISAIAH 30:21
I got into the car to drive to youth group and I felt like I should stop and eat my snack first. I admit it was kind of an odd thought, but decided there was no harm in stopping and munching on a few grapes before I pulled out of my driveway. Just as I was getting ready to leave for the second time, my mom came out to tell me that youth group had been cancelled. Now I know that it would not have been the end of the world to get to youth group, realize it was canceled, and drive back home. But, I think it’s pretty cool that I listened to that nudging and it saved me the hassle. I don’t know about you, but sometimes I don’t hear God’s nudgings quite so clearly. Often I feel like I am calling out “Marco” and endlessly waiting for God to respond back “Polo.” God says we can hear His voice if we learn what to listen for, so maybe I am expecting the wrong sort of response. Listening well doesn’t necessarily mean we will hear an audible voice. Maybe hearing God will come in the form of the idea to talk to a random person that we’ve never noticed before; maybe we will suddenly feel God’s love in an overwhelming and real way; or maybe we will have a very clear direction about the decision we’ve been struggling to make. But however God chooses to reach out to us, I think that hearing God means being open to what HE wants to show us, instead of coming with expectations of how He should communicate. And then being willing to do what He says, even if it’s something as small as eating grapes!
Maranatha Schulte, 17, Ben Lippen School, Columbia, SC
Keep me ears open, Lord Jesus, so that I can hear every
direction You give. Show me what You want me to do.