"Oh come, let us worship and bow down;
Let us kneel before the Lord our Maker.
For He is our God,
And we are the people of His pasture,
And the sheep of His hand.
Today, if you will hear His voice;
Do not harden your hearts,
as in the rebellion,
As in the day of trial in the wilderness...
Psalm 95:6-8
Remember this sign that I posted not too long ago , when I told you about my One Word for 2017..."REST"...and also in conjunction with that I am in the process of creating a "Secret Garden" for a place of prayer, meditation on God's Word, and REST?I couldn't help but think about this sign when I read the above scripture from Psalm 95 during our morning devotions today. Interestingly, this same scripture is quoted again in Hebrews 3:7-14...and it seems to me that it is a message that the Lord wanted to drive home to me since both passages were a part of the proscribed readings for today.
It would appear that we are very prone to allowing our hearts to become hardened when we are overwrought with concerns, anxieties, lack of rest, and possibly even a bit rebellious. We may even say that we are okay, and that we don't need to rest... like a little child who is in desperate need of a nap...we might be in denial and become touchy, grumpy and downright irritable. When we don't allow ourselves time to rest...and time to actually say...
"Oh come, let us worship and bow down;
Let us kneel before the Lord our Maker"
and when we neglect our time of personal meditation on God's Word, times of worship and praise and literally bowing down, kneeling in prayer before the Lord, then it doesn't take much to become hardened in our hearts. Our spirit then easily becomes hard and bitter because we have neglected to soften it with the soothing balm of God's tender words of love, comfort and grace.
Notice again what the Psalmist says in verse 7:
"Today, if you will HEAR HIS VOICE..."
How can we "Hear His voice", unless we are listening? And how can we listen, unless we deliberately set aside a time to tune in to God's voice...by reading and meditating on His Word, worshiping Him with adoration and praise, and giving the Lord the glory due His name?
So that's where I want to be...tuning in to Jesus...listening for His voice...every moment of the day He could be speaking...speaking through His Word, speaking through family members and/or the people we meet throughout the day...speaking through you, my friends here in blogland and beyond...speaking through nature and His beautiful creation...
Are you listening for God's Voice? He's speaking to YOU as well! Take a moment and just listen. You may be amazed at what you will hear.
I'm reading Priscilla Shirer's "Discerning the Voice of God". One of the things we have to do is listen....okay, I'm talking about myself here. Listen to HIM, instead of talking so much. That was meant totally for me! Great post, as usual, Ms. Pam.
ReplyDeleteWow! I guess God really was speaking here! He got MY attention to! We get so caught up in what WE want to say that sometimes we forget to LISTEN to what GOD wants to say! I am so thankful that He spoke and we listened! Blessings my friend. Hope you are feeling better.
DeleteYou inspired me to choose the word "rest" too, as I will need and cherish rest this year. I like that garden quote "Find a gate that opens wide into a secret garden."
ReplyDeleteOh my dear friend Terra, yes...you must take time for rest...time to listen to God, time to grieve, time to heal. Let God be PRESENT in your heart and life and He will give you rest. Praying for you my friend.
DeleteWhat a wonderfully written post, my friend. Thank you so much, Pam, for reminding me to LISTEN...and to bow before HIM in worship...not just share a long list of people's names, along with my needs and desires. I truly needed to read this at this very time. (((hugs)))
ReplyDeleteOh thank you Dianna...I love it when I actually do LISTEN...and God tells me what He wants me to say instead of what I think I should say...this post is a result of that...I had to rewrite it in the middle of it all because I wasn't actually LISTENING to Him! Now I understand WHY He was speaking to me!!! Thank you Dianna for this affirmation and confirmation tonight! God IS speaking to us...and we need to listen.
DeleteI love your garden thoughts. Brings to mind the words to that favorite song about the garden. He speaks and the sound of His voice is so sweet. I come before Him each morning to wait and hear what He has for me.
ReplyDeleteOh, what a wonderful thought..."In the Garden" is one of my favorite songs...thank you for reminding me of it here..yes, that is perfect..."He speaks and the sound of His voice is so sweet..." Oh Yes!! Thank you!
DeleteBeautiful post Pamela. Love your garden thoughts and sign. "In The Garden" is also one of my favorite hymns. Thank you for sharing my friend.
ReplyDeletePraying the Lord will open my heart and mind to always hear His voice. I'm reading Believing God by Beth Moore...God has so much to say to us, we need to rest and listen. Hope your day is happy and blessed.
ReplyDeleteThat sign is perfection! Thank you for this inspiring post! You have lifted me (and others, it appears) up today!!
ReplyDeleteAh, yes! Listening for God's voice, keeping our hearts and minds tuned into Him. Definitely felt His presence in my interactions with my grand-girls today with all their sweet smiles and sweeter hugs.
ReplyDeleteBlessings, Pamela!
Pam: We DO have to listen for God's words. We have to be open to do as He tells us. I have learned some great lessons through the practice of the One Word exercise. It looks as if you have too.
ReplyDeletePam,
ReplyDeleteYou make a wonderful point about how we're to LISTEN to God. Strangely, I struggle with this (even as an introvert), maybe because I'm afraid of what I'll hear? However, I love how God speaks to us in so many ways. I'm pretty sure He has used non-believers to speak to me!
Blessings!