Ready:
"And the peace of God, which surpasses every thought, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus."
-Philippians 4:7
Set:
Did you hear that?
I couldn't get to sleep last night. There were too many thoughts racing around in my mind, bumping into each other, forgetting where they were supposed to be, getting all jumbled and confused. Then one thought walked out of the nonsense and stood still, clear, fully complete: God is always listening.
Have you ever been in a room and seen a teammate or friend do something you thought was amusing? You may have whispered to your neighbor and had a good laugh. Why did you whisper? Why didn't you just say it out loud? Maybe because if someone else heard you, they would think less of you. Sure, you might hurt the other person's feelings, but let's be honest. . . The real reason is your own worldly image. You want to appear "good" and "kind." If you were truly worried about the other person's feelings, you wouldn't have even whispered the thought.
Now, what if I told you someone else does hear, every time. The other person's Father is listening, and He's your Father, too. He hears what you say, and it grieves Him. He doesn't grieve for His other child, He loves them just the way they are, flaws and all. Oh, He loves you, too; He just wants more for you than an uncaring, unkind heart and mind. Yes, mind. He not only heard what you whispered, He heard every thought before the whisper, during the whisper, after the whisper.
There were quite a few thoughts running around in my mind last night that I would not want anyone else to hear. Things I would never dream of saying out loud. Some of those thoughts would create hard feelings in my relationships, some would reveal my own insecurities, others are too critical and mean. And God heard them all! How completely and wonderfully embarrassing! Wonderful because He loves me, bad thoughts and all. Embarrassing because I know better.
The Bible teaches us to guard our thoughts. This means we are to stop, confess and ask forgiveness for the hurtful thoughts that cross our minds because He hears them as if we have shouted them from the rooftops. And they hurt Him.
That being said, I need to get back on my knees and talk to my Father. He heard some things last night He shouldn't have had to listen to. . .
Go:
1. What would you do if all the people around you could hear all of your thoughts?
2. Imagine whispering in God's ear. How would you speak? What would you say?
3. Close your eyes and talk to God now, in your thoughts, with no one else listening.
Workout:
Psalm 94:11, 139:2
Proverbs 15:26
Isaiah 55:8-9
1 Corinthians 3:18-23
Hebrews 3:1-6