Do you ever tell the LORD to shut up?

Recently, I was meditating in the early morning, as I do each day.

I came to the mantra: “Speak, LORD, your servant is listening.” (taken from the story in 1 Samuel 3:1-10).

Still half asleep, I thought: “I’m speaking, LORD! Shut up!”.

I was shocked at my mistake. But then I thought, “This is a ‘Freudian slip’. It unconsciously revealed the true thoughts of my heart and mind. I’m so busy speaking that I want the LORD to shut up!”

Why would I tell the LORD to shut up?

There can be many reasons, varying with times and circumstances.

I reflected that many of these reasons fit into the reasons that Jesus warned us against in his Parable of the Sower: the worries of this life and the deceitfulness of our wealth, and the desires for things other [than the word of the LORD]. (Mark 4:18-19).

Jesus warned that these things choke the fruitfulness of the word of the LORD—the fruitfulness of the words of Jesus.

Let’s face it. It’s easy for our prayers to become long lists of the worries of our lives, the deceitfulness of our wealth, and our desires for things other than the words of Jesus. We want God to put our selfish desires on his to-do list.

No wonder that the fruitfulness of his words becomes choked by our worries, by the deceitfulness of our wealth, and by our desires for other things.

As James, the brother of Jesus, warned us: “[w]hen you ask [God for things], you do not receive [them], because you ask with wrong motives, that you may spend what you get on your pleasures.” (James 4:3).

No wonder we want God to stop speaking to us. We’re too busy speaking AT him, to listen TO him!

How can we restore balance to our prayer life—and to our thought life? How can we have a conversation with God?

A conversation during which God and we both speak and listen? A conversation in which we are God’s servant, listening respectfully to what he wants us to do. Not a conversation in which we treat God as our servant, ordering God what to do.

I strongly recommend three things.

Reading the Bible daily. Systematically reading all parts of the Bible, especially the Gospels.

Being part of a small group that is eager to seek and follow the ways of Jesus.

Attending worship services regularly. We need to hear the LORD speaking to us regularly through community songs, community Scripture readings, and community sermons.

In these ways, you will put the words of Jesus—the words of the LORD—into practice. Therefore, you will stand firm when the storms of life assail you—as if your life is a well-built house on a firm foundation. (Matthew 7:24-28; John 1:1-5).

You will be a faithful servant who listens when the LORD speaks to you.

THINGS TO THINK ABOUT

Do you ever tell God to shut up? How? Why?

Do you ever listen to God respectfully? How? Why?

Do you ever speak at God disrespectfully? How? Why?

Do you believe that, if you put the words of Jesus into practice, you will stand firm when the storms of life assail you—as if your life is a well-built house on a firm foundation? How? Why?

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For related thoughts, please read my blogs “Thorny Soil” and “Overcoming Oceans of Doubts”.