Taking a Hike Through Hebrews…

Huh? What? As we grow older, our hearing becomes a little dull. We now work harder at looking at people when they speak, trying to catch what they are saying from their body language, or look into their faces and read their lips. Not being able to hear is frustrating. My dad had such a hard time in his last twenty hears or so on this earth. He would ask, “huh”, before our sentences were even complete. It is ALSO very frustrating for those who are trying to communicate to someone who cannot hear. It is even more frustrating when they won’t even look at you or even try to understand.

Mm, is this how God feels when we don’t look into His face when he talks to us? Are we provoking God by not listening to Him speak to our hearts? Are we now, in this worldview thinking nation, like the people led by Moses who wondered the wilderness for forty years, never seeing the Promised Land because of refusing to listen to God? Are we in a wilderness of our own making? Are WE provoking God? Get a grip, people!

Hebrews 3, The Message (And Warning)

6-11 Now, if we can only keep a firm grip on this bold confidence, we’re the house! That’s why the Holy Spirit says,

Today, please listen;
don’t turn a deaf ear as in “the bitter uprising,”
that time of wilderness testing!
Even though they watched me at work for forty years,
your ancestors refused to let me do it my way;
over and over they tried my patience.
And I was provoked, oh, so provoked!
I said, “They’ll never keep their minds on God;
they refuse to walk down my road.”
Exasperated, I vowed,
“They’ll never get where they’re going,
never be able to sit down and rest.”

12-14 So watch your step, friends. Make sure there’s no evil unbelief lying around that will trip you up and throw you off course, diverting you from the living God. For as long as it’s still God’s Today, keep each other on your toes so sin doesn’t slow down your reflexes. If we can only keep our grip on the sure thing we started out with, we’re in this with Christ for the long haul.

These words keep ringing in our ears:

Today, please listen;
don’t turn a deaf ear as in the bitter uprising.
15-19 For who were the people who turned a deaf ear? Weren’t they the very ones Moses led out of Egypt? And who was God provoked with for forty years? Wasn’t it those who turned a deaf ear and ended up corpses in the wilderness? And when he swore that they’d never get where they were going, wasn’t he talking to the ones who turned a deaf ear? They never got there because they never listened, never believed.

What do we learn?
–Get a firm grip on God, look into His face and really hear what He is saying to us!
–Don’t go our own way, but listen to His way. It’s always best!
–We need to help each other hang on firmly to what God is saying, not losing our hold on what we believe.
–Don’t just wander around, hear God. Go His way.

Dear Heavenly Father, We repent of our selfishness. We have gone our own way and have done our share of wandering around aimlessly. We are your servants and we are listening, looking full into Your face each morning with excited anticipation of what You will say to us.

We love you with all our heart, mind and soul. Because you didn’t let me go, I now have a firm grip on You. Thank you, Lord. We pray we cease to provoke You, frustrate You and turn a deaf ear from you. Forgive us and help us. Grow us while transforming us, we pray. In Jesus Name, Amen