Proverbs 28: 9 One who turns away his ear from hearing the law, even his prayer is an abomination.
Proverbs 28: 9. This little kid was lagging behind his mom on the toy aisle in Dollar Tree.
She said, “Come on, we’re not getting any toys today.”He said, “Shut up talking to me.”
I moved off the aisle so I couldn’t be called as a witness.
(Now, the little boy actually mumbled/ whispered when he said it, but he was at that age when you haven’t really mastered how to mumble/ whisper without being heard.)
From the school supplies aisle I could soon hear a sound like blows landing, keeping time to a rapid-fire string of prophetic utterances. Now, I didn’t see a thing, but I could make out statements like “If you ever….” “I will beat you until…” “You little…” “….kill you…”
(I don’t know the context, officer. I didn’t see a thing.)
What I did see (though I pretended not to) was a red-faced, disheveled mother power-walk past me dragging an even-more disheveled, shocked, and clearly still worried little boy (who did not have a new toy).
Mama made a sharp turn up the candles aisle and the little boy bounced off the back edge of the shelf.
“Ow,” he cried.
“Shut up talking to me!” his mother said without breaking stride.
God, in His Word and by the many means of His Spirit, speaks to us. Through preaching, prayer, spiritual music, Bible study, and direct revelation (never in contradiction to the written Word), God tells us what we should and shouldn’t do, what we are and aren’t supposed to have.
Sometimes, when what He says contradicts what we want, we decide to stop listening.
When a sermon convicts, instead of repenting sometimes some folk just stop going to church. When a Christian brother or sister discretely, properly, and lovingly comes to us about a sin in our lives that is real and wrong, instead of dealing with it sometimes some folks respond by deleting that person from their friends list. When the Bible says in clear, repeated, and persistent terms that certain behaviors make God sad and/ or sick, some folks sometimes close their Bibles and call it archaic, patriarchal, and irrelevant to the modern age.
Basically, those folks in those times say to God, “Shut up talking to me.”
Of course, they don’t say it out loud. They don’t move their mouths at all to utter those particular sounds; but they forget that hearts speak as loudly to God as lips.
God loves us enough to save us eternally from our sins and to deliver us daily from their full earthly consequences.
But, remember that For whom the Lord loves He chastens, and scourges every son whom He receives.(Hebrews 12: 6)
God hears our prayers, but if we don’t want Him to speak His truth in answer remember that a time came when God told His prophet that He was through listening for a while.
Therefore I also will act in fury. My eye will not spare nor will I have pity; and though they cry in My ears with a loud voice, I will not hear them. (Ezekiel 8:18)
It’s not a good idea to tell God to shut up talking to you. He might reply the same way.
Then, not even a man of God on the next aisle over will be able to help.
Then, not even a man of God on the next aisle over will be able to help.
“So do not pray for this people, or lift up a cry or prayer for them; for I will not hear them in the time that they cry out to Me because of their trouble.” (Jeremiah 11:14)
Everyone who hears these sayings of Mine, and does not do them, will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand. (Matthew 7: 26)
----- Anderson T. Graves II
Rev. Anderson T. Graves II is the pastor of Hall Memorial CME Church
Call/ fax: 334-288-0577
If you want to be a blessing to this ministry, contributions may be made by check or money order.
Mail all contributions to :
Hall Memorial CME Church
541 Seibles Rd.,
Montgomery, AL 36116
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