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Can You Hear
Me Now? |
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Copyright 2003 by Tom Gilbert
I bought a mobile phone about four years
ago. It wasn’t the first I’d owned, but it was the
first time I was footing the bill. So I did a bit of research
and settled with a plan that gave me free long-distance for
my minutes. I would pay the same whether I was calling across
the country or down the street.
This seemed like a good idea. I rationalized that I’d
be able to call my family members that live around the country.
Any business calls with out-of-state clients would be affordable.
And the convenience of having a phone with me all the time
ranked high on my list.
Nowadays mobile phones are ubiquitous. Everybody has one.
And everyone is constantly talking. Sometimes they are on
the phone and not talking, just keeping the connection open.
Just ask my daughter. Maybe there is something comforting
about hearing breathing from your friend on the other end
of the line.
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Dead Areas
Anyway, this article is not a rant against cell phones. I’ll save that for another time. The point I want to
make here is that unbeknownst to me at the time I bought my phone I live in sort of a mobile phone
“dead” area. It’s like all the transmissions disappear into a black
hole. I can’t really talk to somebody on my mobile
at home. Oh, I try. I stand in various places around the
house, sometimes on one foot or bending my body like Gumby
to pick up the elusive communication waves.
So much for saving money on long distance.
Sure, I can always drive down to the coffee shop to ring
them up, but that wasn’t the original plan.
My connection to God often seems like my cell phone at home. Intermittent, breaking up, dropped
calls and garbled reception. I often wonder if God is saying something like, “Can
you hear me now?”
Don’t Hear, I Can Shout You
The real kicker is the many times I DO hear God’s
message loud and clear. For some reason, usually because
of my self-centeredness, I choose to ignore, delay or rationalize
that message. But, sooner or later my actions will bring
me back to facing the truth of God’s message and how
choosing to do it my way got me into trouble. Can you hear
me now?
It’s one thing to receive the message and quite another
to act on it. The joy and wonder of living is discovering
how many different ways God sends the same message. Beauty
in living can come from a sunset, a romantic dinner with
my wife, a letter from a longtime silent friend or a baby’s smile.
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Did You Say Something?
If you’ve ever experienced times of being with a loved
one and just sitting quietly you may discover that hearing
and speaking can be intuitive. Haven’t you ever be
in that situation and said, “What did you just say?” “Huh?
I didn’t say anything” they reply. Nothing was
spoken out loud. But, you heard them just the same.
The times God speaks the loudest are often the times when we commune in silence. No words. Just
being still and knowing God is. Those times are the best. When you can sit quietly
with God and open your heart and mind to the Divine Presence
then you’ve begun to discover the mystery of God being everywhere.
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Scripture taken from the Holy Bible,
NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®.Copyright © 1973, 1978,
1984 International Bible Society. All rights reserved throughout
the world. Used by permission of International Bible Society.
NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION® and NIV® are registered trademarks
of International Bible Society. Use of either trademark for
the offering of goods or services requires the prior written
consent of International Bible Society.
Scripture quotations marked (NLT) are taken from the Holy Bible,
New Living Translation, copyright ©1996. Used by permission
of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Wheaton, IL 60189, USA. All
rights reserved.
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"Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted
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(NIV)
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