I'm Not Listening

Today I'm sharing a devotion from my book Wisdom for Life. I hope you enjoy it!!

 

I was sitting in a coffee shop, studying Psalm 66, trying to grasp the meaning of verse 18: “If I had been aware of malice [sin, iniquity, wickedness] in my heart, the Lord would not have listened.” 

 

How can an omniscient, omnipresent God stop listening? 

 

Just then, a mother and her small daughter sat down at the table next to mine. You could tell they loved each other as the little girl climbed into her mother’s lap and began eating a large muffin. 

 

“Don’t take such big bites,” her mother warned. “You’ll make yourself sick.” 

 

The child glanced at her mom defiantly and stuffed the rest of the muffin into her small mouth. 

 

“Time out,” her mom said, moving her from her lap to the chair across from her. “You didn’t listen to me. You need to think about what you’ve done.” 

 

With a mouth full of muffin, the child began protesting. 

 

“I’m not listening,” her mother said calmly. 

 

Aha! I thought. That’s the meaning of verse 18. When we defy God, He puts us in a type of “time out” so we can consider what we’ve done and repent. 

 

He still loves us, but He stops “listening” to our excuses until we are ready to give up our rebellion and climb back into His lap. 

 

The psalmist understood the importance of confession, and that’s why he proclaimed, “God has listened; he has paid attention to the sound of my prayer. Blessed be God! He has not turned away my prayer or turned his faithful love from me” (vv. 19–20). 

 

For Further Thought 

How do 1 John 1:8–10; John 9:31; and James 4:3 reinforce this truth in Psalm 66:18?

💙💙💙💙

 

This is one of the 100 devotions in the Wisdom for Life devotional which I'm able to share to give my readers an idea of what to expect if they buy the book. If you want to read the story behind Wisdom for Life, you'll find it HERE. You might also like to read 10 Reasons You'll Love Wisdom for Life.

💙 In addition, it's a great time to purchase Wisdom for Life because you'll find some great sales on Lifeway, Amazon, and CBD.  I think you'll agree that it's a beautiful hardcover devotional priced lower than most paperbacks.

BLN