"Oh Lord, do good to those who are good, whose hearts are in tune with you."
Psalm 125:4
Whose hearts are in tune with you...oh, how I long to have a heart like that.
You know, one of my favorite possessions is an old General Electric radio cabinet from my Meme. It sat in her den as the TV table for my whole life, and I always thought it was just...a table. But when she moved a couple of years ago, we were going through things, and I discovered that this "table" actually housed an old time radio and record player underneath the surface. There was even a dusty stack of old records stored inside! My dad shared how he and my Pop used to spend hours listening to Hank Williams on that old thing. We don't use it often, but it is great for putting on the high school football games on Friday night, blasting some praise music while I'm cleaning, or filling the house with the sound of my Meme's old Christmas records that time of year.
There is only one problem with old radios: finding the exact radio frequency when turning the dial. A little forward, a little back...until you get it just right. No static, no overriding radio station where you hear two at the same time (you know what I'm talking about??), and no sudden movements that might mess it up (hence the reason a certain little boy I know has to stay far away:)). But when you get there...it is so awesome!
I feel like it is the same with getting our hearts in tune with the Lord, y'all.
We want our hearts to be on His frequency. We want to hear Him clearly and without confusion. We want to hear Him only. But, it's not always that easy, is it?
There are two problems I found that cause radio disturbance, and I think they are the same for us with hearing the Lord. So here are the problems, and maybe a little something we can do about them.
Problem1: Poor reception
In radio terms, this may mean you need a different antennae or location because of trees, buildings, or other objects you have placed around you that disrupt the reception. It is up to you to address the issue and change something on your end.
Now, those things are not going to make a difference in hearing from the God of the Universe...but there may be other things. Who are you spending your time with? Where are you going most often? What is your heart focused on? Are you reading the Word? Are you spending time in prayer? If you aren't hearing from the Lord, these are questions to ask.
Whenever I feel distant from the Lord, I have to take a hard look at myself and what/who I'm surrounding myself with. Am I allowing myself to fall into gossip or focus on material things? Am I even trying to listen for His voice...or have I dropped my "antennae" for other things?
Ultimately, it is up to me to make different choices so that I am able to hear Him clearly.
Problem 2: Interference
In terms of the radio, interference comes from outside sources like electrical appliances and motors that disrupt the signal. It is not always something you can control, but you can watch for patterns and try to avoid certain situations.
So, this one is a little trickier. There may be people or situations in your life that you cannot avoid because of work or family. They may cause you to feel angry, bitter, or any other range of emotions that cause you to be distant from the Lord. If there is unforgiveness in your heart, it will make it difficult to hear from Him.
Satan will also put any distractions or problems in your way to interfere with your relationship with the Lord and keep you from hearing from Him. Car trouble, financial issues, marriage struggles...you name it he will use it. We have to make the choice not to allow these things to influence our responses and reactions though. We must stand firm in truth.
The reality is that we will have interference from different directions throughout our lives.
There is no getting around that because we live in a sinful world full of sinful people.
But we decide what kind of reception we will have, ya'll.
I don't want people to see me. I want them to see Jesus. And when I am loving and joyful and peaceful and patient and kind and good and gentle and faithful and self-controlled (Gal.5:22), they will. But those things can only come from Him...not this girl.
I want to have a heart in tune with His. I want that for my children...and for you.
Because when we hear him clearly, our lives are better able to reflect Him.
And our "tunes" will be so much more beautiful to hear.
You know, one of my favorite possessions is an old General Electric radio cabinet from my Meme. It sat in her den as the TV table for my whole life, and I always thought it was just...a table. But when she moved a couple of years ago, we were going through things, and I discovered that this "table" actually housed an old time radio and record player underneath the surface. There was even a dusty stack of old records stored inside! My dad shared how he and my Pop used to spend hours listening to Hank Williams on that old thing. We don't use it often, but it is great for putting on the high school football games on Friday night, blasting some praise music while I'm cleaning, or filling the house with the sound of my Meme's old Christmas records that time of year.
There is only one problem with old radios: finding the exact radio frequency when turning the dial. A little forward, a little back...until you get it just right. No static, no overriding radio station where you hear two at the same time (you know what I'm talking about??), and no sudden movements that might mess it up (hence the reason a certain little boy I know has to stay far away:)). But when you get there...it is so awesome!
I feel like it is the same with getting our hearts in tune with the Lord, y'all.
We want our hearts to be on His frequency. We want to hear Him clearly and without confusion. We want to hear Him only. But, it's not always that easy, is it?
There are two problems I found that cause radio disturbance, and I think they are the same for us with hearing the Lord. So here are the problems, and maybe a little something we can do about them.
Problem1: Poor reception
In radio terms, this may mean you need a different antennae or location because of trees, buildings, or other objects you have placed around you that disrupt the reception. It is up to you to address the issue and change something on your end.
Now, those things are not going to make a difference in hearing from the God of the Universe...but there may be other things. Who are you spending your time with? Where are you going most often? What is your heart focused on? Are you reading the Word? Are you spending time in prayer? If you aren't hearing from the Lord, these are questions to ask.
Whenever I feel distant from the Lord, I have to take a hard look at myself and what/who I'm surrounding myself with. Am I allowing myself to fall into gossip or focus on material things? Am I even trying to listen for His voice...or have I dropped my "antennae" for other things?
Ultimately, it is up to me to make different choices so that I am able to hear Him clearly.
Problem 2: Interference
In terms of the radio, interference comes from outside sources like electrical appliances and motors that disrupt the signal. It is not always something you can control, but you can watch for patterns and try to avoid certain situations.
So, this one is a little trickier. There may be people or situations in your life that you cannot avoid because of work or family. They may cause you to feel angry, bitter, or any other range of emotions that cause you to be distant from the Lord. If there is unforgiveness in your heart, it will make it difficult to hear from Him.
Satan will also put any distractions or problems in your way to interfere with your relationship with the Lord and keep you from hearing from Him. Car trouble, financial issues, marriage struggles...you name it he will use it. We have to make the choice not to allow these things to influence our responses and reactions though. We must stand firm in truth.
The reality is that we will have interference from different directions throughout our lives.
There is no getting around that because we live in a sinful world full of sinful people.
But we decide what kind of reception we will have, ya'll.
I don't want people to see me. I want them to see Jesus. And when I am loving and joyful and peaceful and patient and kind and good and gentle and faithful and self-controlled (Gal.5:22), they will. But those things can only come from Him...not this girl.
I want to have a heart in tune with His. I want that for my children...and for you.
Because when we hear him clearly, our lives are better able to reflect Him.
And our "tunes" will be so much more beautiful to hear.
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