Paying Attention
God instructed Moses to construct two silver trumpets. These relatively simple, 18 inch (45 cm) long tubes with flared ends made a distinct sound that could be played in various ways to convey different meanings. These were invaluable tools for communicating quickly and effectively with the entire group of people at once. Even in this passage, which seems more of a logistic issue, we have an applicable lesson for us today. Afterall, as David Guzik once wrote, “Before we can obey God, we must first give Him our attention.”
Jesus said, “My sheep hear my voice, and I now them, and they follow me.” (John 10:27) It sounds simple, and it honestly is. If we are not listening for God, we will have no idea when He wants us to move and when He wants us to stay. I grew up in the generation that was allowed to go out and play. We had no limitations of where we could go or what adventures we could have except that we had to be close enough to hear when it was time to come home. Everywhere we lived, my mother mounted a large brass bell by our front door. When it was time to come home, she would step outside and bang on that bell as loud as she could. That was our signal to start running. I don’t know what the punishment would have been had we ignored the bell because we never wanted to take that chance. Afterall, the bell meant dinner and who would want to miss that? As good of a cook as my mother was, what God offers us is far greater. If we aren’t paying attention, we might just miss it.
“Behold, I stand at the door and knock; if anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and eat with him, and he with me.” (Revelation 3:20) God is sounding His silver trumpet. He is calling out to His people to prepare themselves. We have been given the mission of going into all the world. It starts right now, right where we are, but we need to pay attention to that still, small voice that whispers to our heart and tells us to share, to love, to offer mercy and grace. We must listen to the warning bell that tells us to go no further. Only when we follow the sound of our Good Shepherd’s voice will we know the right path to take. No matter how busy our life may become, let us always keep our ears tuned to hear the voice of God.
(Written by Keegan Harkins.)
