Talk to Me

A father and son were having a conversation ... one, of course, the son didn't want to have. Dad was trying to explain to him why it was that he wouldn't be allowed to do what he wanted to do. He listened for a brief moment, turned away, covered his ears, and said, "Blah, blah, blah. Don't worry about it. I'll do what you tell me. You don't have to give me reasons." So, of course, a week later when he, exasperated about something else, complained, "Why don't you ever talk to me about stuff?", it just seemed humorous.

It's amusing, isn't it, when we see such silliness in the young? Is it just as amusing when we see it in ourselves? Because we do. I cannot tell you how many times I've heard (or said), "What is God's will for my life?" I cannot guess how many have complained that God is not clear enough. "Why doesn't He just tell us what He wants?" They (we) do it with our Bibles closed. Because in the Bible God speaks. Every word is God-breathed. And sincere questions like "What is God's will for my life?" and "What does God want me to do?" are answered in there ... over and over again.

I think, sometimes, we're not really aware of what we have in this Bible of ours. It is a letter written by God using various secretaries in which He explains to us important things like who He is, what He wants, what we should do, and what is best for His creation (like us). A personal letter written from God. And He's telling us what we need to know. And somehow we often nod and say, "Yes, yes, I love the Bible, but ..."

There are, to be sure, unanswered questions. Should you take that job, move to that city, marry this one or that? Lots of questions that may or may not be answered in the Word. But I think you will find the vast majority of answers to these questions if you prayerfully listen to God when He speaks from the pages of Scripture. Of course, you'll have to keep from covering your ears, closing your eyes, or shutting down your minds, because when God speaks, we often don't want to hear it or don't like what He says or aren't willing to follow. When God speaks, we may not always listen. We may find it hard to hear or hard to take. But we shouldn't be caught asking "Why doesn't God speak to me?" if we're simply ignoring His Word.