Is the music too loud?

I recently attended a beautiful wedding with a reception and dance following the ceremony.  Once the ceremony was over we were directed to go to the reception hall that was a few miles away, something that a small town girl just doesn't quite understand.  When we arrived at the reception hall it was just as beautiful as the wedding.  Tables were set and were ready for the guests.  As we sat and anxiously awaited the arrival of the bride and groom, we visited, each table carrying on their own conversations and enjoying the time together.  Once the bride and groom arrived our attention was focused on them and we were brought back to the reason why we were all there.  We ate a lovely meal, watched the first dance and the dances with the bride and her father and the groom and his mother.  We cried a little and laughed a lot.  It was a joyous occasion.  As the evening continued the dance began, the music was a bit louder and the conversations became more of a yell than a quiet conversation.  Don't get me wrong, the music was just right for dancing but not for carrying on a conversation, especially for this old lady.  I can hear perfectly fine when someone is talking about me in another room but with music going it was hard for me to hear what the person beside me was saying and impossible to hear across the table without yelling.  I think it would be fun to be a DJ and just cut the music in the middle of a song just to hear everyone yelling at each other.  But on with my point . . . Sometimes I think that is what it is like when we are trying to have a conversation with our heavenly Father.  His voice gets drowned out by all the music around us.  Sometimes I feel like we do not hear Him clearly because we are listening to others rather than to God.  I am not saying that we should not listen to others, we are messengers of God but sometime I feel that we become dependent on others rather than on Him and we let them study the word rather than searching it for ourselves.  I have been walking lately and I have been amazed at all the earphones I have seen people using.  I tried to use them one day but couldn't get it to work and I was glad because I would have missed out on the beautiful songs of the birds that God created for us.  I would have missed out on telling someone good morning or I would have missed the conversation with the lady in the park that stopped and visited with me for a few minutes.  How much are we missing from trying to find out everyones take on what God wants us to know rather than doing as the Psalmist recorded in Psalms 46:10 "Be still and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth!"  I don't want this blog to be a one sided study.  It is my desire that each of you will be still and know what God is saying to you.  Turn the music down, as good as it may be, and listen to what God is saying to you.  Put aside all the resource books and pull out the word of God and just start reading it.  Use the verses that I may give you or ask God to show you what He wants you to know in His word but be still and know Him.

Yesterday I listed some descriptors of God from Nehemiah 9.  The first one I listed was He is the creator so today I would like to focus on Him as the creator. 

We have all most likely heard the story of creation, how God did all of this in six days and on the seventh day He rested.  We have probably also heard many contradictions to this story by those who do not believe in a creator, which is sad.  I trust you all believe that God did create this world but have you ever asked yourself why He did this?  God is God and He could have created anything He wanted but He chose to create the universe, including the earth and He chose to put man on the earth, why?

Let's think about creation just a little further.  Genesis 1:2 tells us, "The earth was without form, and void, and darkness was on the face of the deep.  And the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters".  I have never really figured that all out but today I visualized slime.   That nasty stuff that has no shape but just a big glob that you can't do anything with.  The earth was just there but God took it and made something beautiful and He did it in six days!  Again, I ask why did He do this?

There are many answers to this question and we will most likely learn a lot about why He chose to do this as we study the word of God and as we seek Him with all our hearts.  One reason can be found in the words of Jesus during His triumphal entry.  Read through this passage Luke 19:28-44 and see if you can learn something that you had never seen before. 

As I read it I noticed that it wasn't all of Jerusalem that was rejoicing but those disciples, followers of Jesus who had seen His mighty miracles and they were all praising Him.  There were also Pharisees in the crowd who were not shouting praises to Him, rather they were telling him to rebuke these disciples.  But I love the way Jesus answered them, as recorded in verse 40,  "I tell you," he replied, "if they keep quiet, the stones will cry out."  There is our answer for today, we were made to praise Him.  If we don't do it, the stones will.  Remember the verse in Psalm 46:10, read it again.  We are to be still so that He can be exalted upon the nations, so He can be exalted in the earth.  We are here to give Him Praise.  Luke 19:38 says it very well, "Blessed is the King who come in the name of the Lord!  Peace in heaven and glory in the highest!" 

We are created to praise Him, to exalt Him.  As you seek Him and know Him you will find it easy to praise Him and exalt Him.

Seeking to know Him,
Sheila