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Listen while you read: "He Keeps Me Singing"1 (Lyrics) |
Proverbs 2:1-5 – My son, if you accept my words and store up my commands within you, turning your ear to wisdom and applying your heart to understanding, and if you call out for insight and cry aloud for understanding, and if you look for it as for silver and search for it as for hidden treasure, then you will understand the fear of the Lord and find the knowledge of God. (NIV)
Listening to my grandchild takes practice and intentional listening. At four, she is still unable to pronounce a number of letters correctly. This issue makes various words difficult to grasp, as the sound that she is seeking to make comes out in the form of another letter. In some words, there may be several letters that are pronounced differently than the way that they should be. Thus, to have the best hope of understanding a sentence or a paragraph, one must have an intentionally listening ear. Our whole focus must be upon what she is trying to say, which is very exhausting for her parents and me, as intentional listening takes a lot of energy.
We are so used to listening to the radio, television, or other people talking while we are busy doing other chores and still understanding all that is being said. Listening while multi-tasking is simply a way of life. When a person has a speech deficit, however, listening takes on a whole new meaning. I often find myself praying, "Open my ears to understand, Lord. Give me insight into what she is saying so that I may grasp it and be able to meet her need or respond appropriately to her conversation."
Likewise, in today's Scripture, we learn that truly hearing and understanding God's Word also requires intentional listening. We must apply our whole heart to understanding it. We must cry out to God for insight and meaning. We must search diligently for comprehension, just as we might search for hidden treasure. Only through intentional listening in the power of His Holy Spirit will we come to discover the true knowledge of God, a knowledge that leads and directs us toward the best way that we should walk and the plans that God has prepared for our lives, plans to prosper us and not to harm us, plans to give us a hope and a future.
So, as we choose to take the time to read or listen to the Word in Scripture today, may we also choose to cry out to God for an intentional listening ear, and then be prepared to discover hidden treasures more valuable than silver or gold.
Prayer: Father God, help us to tune out the world and the ramblings of our minds so that with listening ears, we might intentionally hear the treasures of Your Word each and every day. In Christ's name, we pray. Amen.
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You write the best devotionals! Thank you!
We listen, we hear when we have a specific need.
Thanks, Lynne. You always have such good motivational advice for us as you expand the Scripture.
You are a treasure. Thank you. There is always so much to learn in each of your “daily devotion” Thank you for your wisdom and understanding of God’s message.
A very well thought out inspirational message today Lynne, one I really do appreciate. I too pray for a listening ear for the word of God because hearing without understanding is like not hearing at all. Thank you and God bless you for sharing.
Thank you for sharing your heart. I find myself absorbed in two or three things at one time. I heard a little story about a multitasking mom. Her little boy tried getting her attention several times with mom saying, I am listening go ahead and tell me. The little boy who himself had a speech problem, grabbed his Mommy’s face, said I want you to “wisson” with your eyes.
I too have a four-year-old grandson who chatters on enthusiastically but is so difficult to understand. Unfortunately, I live far away but am pleased that his parents and grandparents do take the time to actively listen. With more contemplation I’m sure this analogy could be applied to other aspects of our life. Thanks, Lynne, for starting my day with something interesting to contemplate.
This is so good! As always!! I often say that we will find what we’re looking for … ( sort of like the difference between optimism and pessimism). If we read the Word LOOKING FOR GOD, we will certainly find Him, but if we’re reading with skepticism or doubt, or downright unbelief, those are the things we’ll find. It also applies to what we look for in other people, and in situations. We need to be looking for God everywhere and in everything and in everyone. God bless you dear Lynne.
Good morning, Lynne,
I am guilty of not always listening with all of my mind. Your message is a good one for me to be reminded that I can do better in 2024 at giving my full attention. It is a bad habit that I have cultivated and need to work on. Definitely it takes more effort but is worth the work.
Thanks for sharing and reminding us to ask for God’s help when we want to improve ourselves. Blessings.
Good morning, Lynne.
Thank you for sharing this and I am thankful you are her loving gramma!!! I pray she feels God’s love through you, and He will help both of you communicate in His way. God knows all ways of communicating! It is amazing what we see in the Word when we ask God to open our eyes to see what is actually being said!!
God bless you Lynne, may God shine down upon you, your precious family and all your 4-legged family also.
God bless.
Greetings Lynne and many thanks for your very meaningful and directive devotional today. Yes, it is very important that we keep a “listening ear” to the words of our Lord and follow His advice and direction for the best outcome in our daily life. I understand very well your situation in concentrating and discerning words pronounced by your little granddaughter as I have two great-grandsons that are in speech therapy sessions every week. I’m so thankful that we have that therapy available here in our town. Blessings for these very special writings you do, and I will be praying for good progress in your granddaughter’s speech problem.
Hi Lynne,
I can relate to your trying to listen to and understand what your granddaughter is trying to say when she uses other letters in the words she is trying to say. I am impeded due to my hearing impairment and wearing hearing aids which makes it difficult to hear people who are speaking to you but looking away from you. I have times I find it difficult to hear my wife and my brother-in-law when he is not looking towards me, what he is saying is even more garbled.
I have to trust in the Lord even more to try and understand the gist of what is being said. If I am at home with the TV and fireplace on, I have to mute the TV in order to have any hope of hearing what is being said and I also must turn to face the person speaking.
May we all turn our full attention to the Lord when He speaks so we may hear him and respond accordingly.
Blessings.
Hi Lynne,
Your devotional today spoke to me…not that we have a child with speech difficulty (except some of the terms that kids use today), but we do have a granddaughter who has Aspergers on the autistic spectrum. Her parents adopted her as a baby and how blessed she has been by them. She graduated from high school giving the address at her graduation. for the past two years she has worked at a pizza place in Houston. She has now realized that there is not much future in working at a pizza place. Like a lot of folks with Aspergers, she is pretty smart…it is the anxiety that gets her. At any rate she left today to begin her college career. So, speech difficulties, Aspergers, and all sorts of things are challenges, and I cannot imagine trying to face them, sort through them, etc., without a faith that God is in charge!
Thanks again for writing.
Thank you for sharing this encouraging devotional with us. I too have family members who have had speech impediments, yet they are totally cherished. Blessings.
Lynne, thanks for writing about this. It made me think about the “flip-side” of intentional hearing and think of how our loving Father understands our babbling imperfect attempts to communicate to Him. The Holy Spirit translates perfectly. How marvelous, right? Stay warm on this wintery day!
Thank you, Lynne. This is so true: Only through intentional listening in the power of His Holy Spirit will we come to discover the true knowledge of God, a knowledge that leads and directs us toward the best way that we should walk and the plans that God has prepared for our lives, plans to prosper us and not to harm us, plans to give us a hope and a future.
Hello Lynne,
I hope you are all managing safely and well in the cold snap that Alberta is experiencing. Perhaps it is just like back in northern BC!
The verses from Proverbs 2 resonate with how the Lord has been speaking to me recently. Jeremiah 29:13 has a similar message: my attitude of heart and >calling< on the Lord in prayer - the attitude you speak of in your devotional - listening intently to the Lord. It is a strong message. Thank you! Blessings.