Listening and Following. Two things that we need to be taught from a young age. The rebellious heart of man shows itself early in our toddler years. We could probably say we never grow out of the struggle of listening and following directions. So it’s no wonder that all over Scripture are examples, reminders, vivid stories, and messages from God about listening and following Him.

Psalm 81 is a beautiful Psalm of Asaph written from the perspective of God.
What is striking in this Psalm is the reminder of the loving desire of God for us to listen and follow God. The tone is one of parental loving frustration. You do not have to be a parent to understand what it feels like to be ignored. Worse yet, being ignored when you have exactly what someone needs. You have the antidote. You have the cure, and then crickets from those who should be flocking to you for help and salvation.

“Oh, that my people would listen to me!” Verse 13 starts with this heart cry of God. Notice that he does not disown them as I do when I say to my wife, “I can’t believe what your kid did.” No, this is a cry of a loving Father. It’s also not a cry of desperation, like the cry of a parent who is giving up. This is the confident statement of a Father who knows best and wishes His kids would listen to Him.

Verse 13 finishes with, “Oh, that Israel would follow me, walking in my paths!”.
Look, God has a good and perfect way for us to walk. The best part is we are not walking down that path alone; we are walking with Him! The point is to follow God. The point is to walk with Him where He is going and where He has been.

Now, put the two together. Listen and Follow. It is hard to follow our amazing God if we are not listening to Him. Listening to Him will reveal His path to follow. One of the primary ways to listen to God is by reading His Word and hearing the truths He lays out in it. Prayer is another way to listen to God. Praying is communication with God, yet prayer often seems more like a one-sided conversation, with us doing all the talking. There is a place in prayer for listening to God.

I will admit I am still figuring out how to listen to God myself. One thing I do know is that we wander off the path because we stop listening to Him and start listening and following everything and everyone else but Him. Listen and follow, listen and follow! My prayer for us this week is that our Heavenly Father will find us listening and following His amazing plan and direction for our lives!

Listening and Following God with you,
Pastor Mike