The first casualties of upheaval can be love, kindness, and patience. But crisis is also a moment when love for God & one another can spring up. For 150 days, starting on 17th March 2020, I will write 300 words based on one of the 150 psalms in the bible. How can I find and give love in the midst of coronavirus?
“La la la la la. I’M NOT LISTENING. I’M NOT LISTENING!”
I think I am more mature than this kind of behaviour. I think I’m a good listener. I always pay attention (although I have fallen asleep a couple of times whilst I was listening to someone). Of course, I wouldn’t actively try not to listen to someone – and certainly not to God.
Really?
Let’s hear our Psalm:
1 Come, let us sing for joy to the Lord; let us shout aloud to the Rock of our salvation. 2 Let us come before him with thanksgiving and extol him with music and song.
Our psalm writer starts by telling us how much we should praise God. We should sing, worship, bow down on our knees – because He is great. I would agree with this.
Today, if only you would hear his voice, 8 ‘Do not harden your hearts as you did at Meribah, as you did that day at Massah in the wilderness, 9 where your ancestors tested me; they tried me, though they had seen what I did.
But, and it’s a big but – he then suddenly changes tack and tells us not to ‘harden your hearts’ if you hear his voice. If I’m praising God with all this enthusiasm, how can I harden my heart to him – how can I ignore his voice?
The psalm uses a story from the Old Testament (Exodus 17) which describes how the Israelites, despite seeing God do extraordinary miracles and speak to them very loudly, turned away from God and began to complain bitterly because they were anxious about food and water – despite God’s promises to provide.
I have discovered my ability – in the midst of praying, praising and talking about how good God is – to close myself off to His voice. To ignore Him, to think that I am hearing the opposite of what He is saying. I can ignore my conscience (which is God-given) and plough on regardless – and get myself in trouble.
Let’s not harden our hearts to His voice. Let’s respond to him so that we don’t get ourselves in even more trouble.
Have a blessed day.
Love Matt