Are you there God?
Recently I went to visit someone in the hospital and, upon entering, I overheard a man spouting off profanity and using Christ's Name as a curse word.
I knew that if I went back to the front door I'd probably subjecting myself to more foul language but I couldn't just keep on going without saying something.
So I went back and began to talk with the poor man. He had lost most, if not all, of his vision and was really in bad shape-spiritually and naturally. But the part of this man's story that really stayed with me was when he asked me why God didn't talk back to him.
"I've been praying since 1979 and God never spoke to me once," he growled. "If God exists, why isn't He talking to me?"
My answer was simple. "Are you listening?"
What that man didn't realize was that God was talking to him. I was answering his questions quoting the Scriptures which is the Word of God, but he was looking for something different.
That experience made me wonder how often God does speak but how rarely we hear what He has to say. It reminds me of the Scripture in Rev. 3:20
"Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me."
If any man hear my voice. Let us be less slow to blame God for not speaking and more quick to examine whether or not we are listening. Then, just maybe, we'll hear His voice more often.
JP Robinson
