Can You Hear HIM Now?

I acquired an old IBM laptop computer not long ago for a tank of gasoline. It was pretty messed up, but still functional. Come to find out it had the smallest hard drive in the world trying to compute with the largest operating system. The hard drive was full to the brim with operating programs and no room for doing any work, so it was as slow as a turtle. I was beginning to doubt myself and wondering if I had made a mistake buying this thing. Well, I didn’t have much invested so decided the only corrective action is to upgrade the hard drive to a larger one and that’s what I did, except the new drive didn’t want to cooperate. All my commands to wake up the new drive weren’t working and frustration was setting in. Nothing is more frustrating to me than to work hard at something only to see it going nowhere. It took a little basic review of computer language, typing in different commands and finally the laptop came to an understanding of what I wanted to accomplish. The new drive started accepting data and we’re working together again, at a far greater speed. Just goes to prove, you only get out of something what you put into it. And, you’ve got to know computers before they can serve you.
The young man had lost his job and didn’t know which way to turn, so he went to see the old preacher. Pacing about the preachers study, the young man ranted about his problem. Finally he clenched his fist and shouted, “I’ve begged God to say something to help me! Tell me, why doesn’t God answer?” The old preacher, who was seated across the room answered something in reply, but it was so hushed it was undistinguishable. The young man stepped closer, “What did you say?” he asked. The preacher repeated himself, but again in a tone as soft as a whisper. So the young man moved closer until he was leaning on the chair the preacher was sitting in. “Sorry”, he said. “I still didn’t hear you.” With their heads nearly touching the old preacher spoke once more. “Sometimes God whispers” he said, “so we will move closer to hear Him.”
[Matthew 4: 9-10] The young man in the story was expecting God to thunderously bring about a solution to his problem so he could get on with his life. We all want God’s voice to thunder through the air with the answer to our problems, but it just isn’t that way. Jesus knew the answer when confronted by the Satan as He was tempted to serve himself. The tempter approached Jesus and said, “All these things I will give you if you fall down and worship me.” Jesus replied, “Go Satan! For it is written, ‘You shall worship the Lord your God and serve Him only.’” We all have one great decision to make in this life; to serve God or serve self. Many say they worship God and not self, because they’ve even obeyed the Gospel, and have become a Christian. But, good intentions go astray and we tend to return to serving self once again. “That’s not true!”, you say. “I attend worship every week.” I ask you, “Why?” Are you attending to give God praise or are you just going through the motions and emotions to satisfy an inner craving you have. Jesus knew He would receive much more from God than Satan could ever give Him. The world is still boisterous and tempting, luring everyone into sin. God is quiet and loving. How will we ever hear what He has to say if we don’t sincerely draw close to Him? God wants to serve you. Your faith and service to Him will open the door to understanding, and answers. But, you’ve got to know God before He can serve you.