Are We Listening?

“I listen carefully to what God the Lord is saying,for he speaks peace to his faithful people.”Psalm 85:8 NLT

The apostle Peter—slow to learn the art of listening—owned the reputation of always having something to say, even when it was wrong or out-of-place. In Mark 8, Jesus severely scolded Peter because one minute he confessed Jesus was the Messiah and the next minute he declared Jesus should not die. Obviously, Peter did not listen carefully to Jesus' complete message.

Six days later, Peter again demonstrated his lack of tongue control by interrupting Jesus' conversation with Moses and Elijah. The Amplified version writes, “he took up the conversation.” Did Peter want to be in control that day?

From out of a cloud, the voice of the Almighty declared Jesus as the Son of God. He told Peter, James and John to “be quiet and listen.”

It's one thing to hush your children or for your spouse to tell you to be quiet, but it's mortifying to have God say it. How humbling for Peter! Red-faced with embarrassment, I would have hid behind the nearest tree.

Lord, I don't want to keep relearning this lesson. Help me speak less and listen more, to you and to my family.  

                     

 “Watch your tongue and keep your mouth shut, and you will stay out of trouble."

                 Proverbs 21:23 NLT 


Juanita 

Storms of Life

 "He calmed the storm to a whisper and stilled the waves."

Psalm 107:29 NLT

Today, storm clouds gather while I rest comfortable in my library with a front row seat to watch how the wind shakes and whips the birch and cedar trees. I want to see more action, more excitement, “But Lord, please no broken branches, no power outage.”

The calm before the storm is not as memorable as the calm afterwards. Twenty minutes later, my scene has changed. Heavenly buckets once full of rain now hang empty, our trees stand tall and still, and blue sky peeks between fast-moving, white fluffy clouds called stratocumulus.

We all encounter storms in our lives. Certain trials may appear as a breeze while other experiences blow in like a Midwest tornado. Whatever the wind velocity or the degree of trouble we face, a calm and peaceful future awaits us sooner or later. Dark clouds may hide blue sky, troubles may hinder our view of deliverance, but God's promises remain.

Our King is still our King. Jesus promised to never forsake us. He proved His faithfulness to His Father God's will, even though His experiences during His final hours looked desperate and defeated.

Jesus knew the ending of His last chapter on earth and so do we. Victory! 

"For the Lord is good. His unfailing love continues forever, and his faithfulness continues to each generation."

Psalm 100:5 NLT