November 3

Written by Bill Grandi on November 3rd, 2022

I’d like to continue with my devotional thought from yesterday’s devotion.

Have you ever had tinnitus? It is a ringing in the ears, a very unpleasant sound. It hinders hearing.

Have you ever had too much wax in your ear, so much so that it weighs against your ear drum? Not only does it have a physical side effect (vertigo) it also makes it hard to hear. Been there done that.

Have you ever felt like you were underwater and all you could hear was a sound like a seashell against your ear? It makes it hard to hear.

Have you ever been wearing headphones and found people talking to you and you either had no clue or could not make out what they were saying?

I have described some common, sometimes everyday occurrences. All of them affect our hearing. Okay, let’s move it into another realm.

Each day you read, watch, listen, or “veg out” to the news. Hour after hour of the same old garbage. This or that politician is off the rails. This or that legislation is good or bad. This or that country is considering going to war.

There is nothing wrong with knowing what is going on in the world. We can’t hide our heads in the sand. But the more we listen, the louder the voices get. Meanwhile, the one who has a steady diet of this nonsense sinks deeper and deeper into despair. As I said, I’m not opposed to knowing what is going on in the world, but enough is enough. There comes a point in time where we have to shut down the voices clamoring for our attention, stop, and listen to another voice.

It is the voice of the Father saying, “My peace I leave with you. My peace I give to you.” Jesus once said, “My sheep hear my voice.” The question that comes up and needs answered is “How can I hear His voice if I’m not listening? And how can I hear if I’m listening too much to others?”

In a noisy world, we need to shut down the distractions and the steady diet of outside noise and take time to hear the voice of the Father.

Shut off the news. Silence the ringing in the ears of annoying claptrap. Hear the voice of the Shepherd calling you to Him.

 

6 Comments so far ↓

  1. Ryan S. says:

    I limit my intake of the noises these days. I rarely watch/listen to the news. I will read through the headlines quickly and discern whether or not the “bait” is worth the “bite”…. More often than not… it isn’t. Too often the headlines are simply there to get our attention…
    and then report nothing more than hearsay and propaganda.

    As I was entering into my quiet time today, I felt myself getting distracted and unmotivated. I decided to read the book of Ecclesiastes in addition to my daily dose of Proverbs. Thankfully, this helped put my “hearing” back on track for the day and I am hopeful that it will keep the nonsensical voices at bay.

    • Bill Grandi says:

      I am severely limiting my exposure as well Ryan. I noticed it was making me angry about things I have no control of. Reading the book of Ecclesiastes was a good move. Solomon helps put things in perspective.

  2. I confess, Bill, that I’m a news junkie, especially during this political season. I could do a much better job of simply tuning it out. When we were on vacation, that was a lot easier to do!
    Blessings!

    • Bill Grandi says:

      The 2020 political season enslaved me Martha. I said it would not happen again. I watch “The Five” is I’m home and then find something else to do. I do read Fox News on my phone and try to limit that to twice a day-morning and evening. It can be a real struggle.

  3. gail says:

    I have always limited listening to the news, for one thing the reports are too short, and do not provide all of the information. If I need to learn about something I try to go to several sources. Sometime’s I am too out of the loop, so who knows. One thing for sure, Gods word is the standard of truth I want to use to measure everything else too. I never have to worry that God is going to change His side of the truth, to please the culture or readers. God will never give make me a promise He will not keep. The closer I draw to Him the more He will reveal to me, so there is only One voice I want to drown out all the others.

    • Bill Grandi says:

      You are wise Gail to limit your exposure to the news. As for God’s Word, I stand right there with you.