Sunday 20 Jul 2014

July 20: Isaiah 6:8-10

Key Verse: Isaiah 6:9
9 And He said, “Go, and tell this people: ‘Keep on hearing, but do not understand; Keep on seeing, but do not perceive.’

Devotion:
When Isaiah was first called to be a prophet it must have been unsettling for him. We see this through the words that were written down for us to understand his calling. God was quite specific that Isaiah should allow the people of Israel to sink into their own ways and see that a life without God is no life at all. A life without God in your heart is no life to speak of. Many will go about reading the bible just because they should. Many will go to church because someone said they should. Many will not hear the Gospel because they do not truly listen to the words. Isaiah was to leave mankind to find out the truth…

You may think that is unfair. You may think that the life you have to lead is unfair. You may think that others have such a good life compared to you… but unless they have Christ in their own hearts then they will never understand the love of Christ and they will never have that peace that only God can give in your soul! So many of the prophets must have felt alone as they listened to God and wondered why the people around them could not hear God…

I struggle to listen to God at times because the world is a very ‘loud’ place where all manner of things drown out the peace that we seek with God. It can be very difficult to concentrate on God and on His Word when there is a lot of distractions. I know that it is difficult to write devotions some mornings because there is so much to do in the day. I have found that shutting out the world is hard until you concentrate on God instead of the world. Trying to shut out the noise by concentrating on it does not work!

Take time out to start in prayer. Take time out to sing a song to God. Take time out to focus on Him. That is when you will draw close enough to hear what He has in store for you this day. It’s not enough just to skim through a devotion each day and think that is enough. It’s not enough to skim through a chapter or three in the bible. Taking time out to actually be with God is what counts because that is the time when you get to know Him in your own heart and know Him you will!

Points to Ponder:
How do you listen to friends?

How do you listen to God?