When I was a kid, I had a physical education teacher who was always telling us one specific word every time we had class. The word was listen. Why was listening so important? If we did not listen, we would not know what to do next, and then he would have to repeat the instructions all over again. The teacher was always very patient as he continued to call us back so we could successfully complete our assignment.
Listen and pay attention! Do not be arrogant, for the Lord has spoken.16 Give glory to the Lord your God before it is too late. Acknowledge him before he brings darkness upon you, causing you to stumble and fall on the darkening mountains. For then, when you look for light, you will find only terrible darkness and gloom. [1] Jeremiah 13:15-16
When Jeremiah was a prophet, the Lord was telling the people through him to listen and pay attention. The people had not listened to the Lord which resulted in messy lives. Their lives were one large train wreck in every direction. This had been a result of not listening and doing whatever they wanted to do. I don’t know about you, but when I didn’t follow the Lord’s guidance, things did not turn out well. Maybe you have also taken that rough road in life.
The Lord was calling them back one more time. One more time they were given the directions. One more time they were given an opportunity to do what was right. The bad news was God’s patience was running out. If they did not listen and turn back to Him there would be consequences.
Is the Lord calling you to listen and pay attention as you read this? Is there something the Lord wants to change in your life? The voice of the Spirit is ever calling us to God’s plans for our lives. The Spirit calls us to relationship with Him and transformation. I’ve come to believe that growing in a life with Jesus draws us into a place where we’re able to hear the Spirit. It is then that we can respond to the Spirit’s quiet, and gentle prompting. We learn to recognize the tone and texture of the Spirit hovering about, leading, guiding, prompting, correcting, and loving. In such places, stillness of the small voice is enough.
Jesus replied, “But even more blessed are all who hear the word of God and put it into practice.” [2]Luke 11:28
To hear more of Jeremiah’s story, listen here: https://podpoint.com/light-of-christ-church-podcast/series/journey-with-jeremiah/jeremiahs-belt
If you would like more teaching on Jeremiah listen to these podcasts:
[1, 2]Tyndale House Publishers. (2015). Holy Bible: New Living Translation(Je 13:15–16 Luke 11:28). Carol Stream, IL: Tyndale House Publishers.