Insight for Today
A Daily Devotional by Pastor Chuck Swindoll

Listening with Retuned Ears

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David sums up his feelings in Psalm 19 with a brief prayer. In fact, these three lines are some of the most familiar in the entire book of Psalms.

Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart
Be acceptable in Your sight,
O LORD, my rock and my Redeemer. (19:14)

While God may seem silent at times, the problem is not that He isn't communicating; it's that we aren't hearing Him. Withdrawing from the pain of life may have cut us off from the many ways God expresses His love: through the inner transformation of the Holy Spirit, through nature, through caring family and friends, through opportunities to serve. Or, our ears may be clogged with self-pity. Or, because of faltering faith, we may refuse to believe God cares or continues to demonstrate His love.

The fact is, God has revealed Himself so thoroughly through His creation and through the Scriptures, He need not ever speak again. Nevertheless, He remains consistently involved with His world and the people He made. When we take this at face value, choosing to believe He is not silent, our ears become attuned to His constant communication. I know this to be true from personal experience. When I find myself falling prey to the lie that God is silent, I immediately turn to where I know for certain God speaks: His Word. I respond to the world's lie by taking in truth. Then, with my ear retuned to hear God's voice, I find Him communicating in more ways than I realized.

Stay in the Word this week, my friend. Claim His blessings—dare Him to fulfill His promises. The "words of your mouth" and "meditation of your heart" will take on a whole new pattern of godliness and power. Furthermore, He will no longer seem distant from you or silent to you.