Monday, April 23, 2007

Getting Tuned In

Have you ever had to mess with an analog radio to try to get it tuned in? Do you remember those, the kind with a little dial that you have to move back and forth just so to get it so you can hear the radio station without the static. I know those are fading into the past in this digital age. Today the tuners on our car radio still have a dial that you can turn to the left and the right to change the station, but it moves from one digital channel setting to the next so when you get to the exact frequency the radio station is broadcasting (like 98.3 MHz), you have a corresponding digital setting.
I remember when I was younger, before everything was digital, radios had dials and the tuning knob would take you through all the space in between 98.1 and 98.9 when you were trying to get to 98.3 and getting it set could sometimes be just a little touchy... and radio stations didn't announce that they were broadcasting on the decimal somewhere in between the whole numbers, they rounded up or down; the local station that broadcast on 92.9 announced its location as 93. Simple.

I started considering this this evening after an adventure...
I am trying to find new places to go ride my mountain bike in hopes of actually getting this decaying body back into something resembling being in shape again (which is no small task). So even though the weather forecast was gloomy and the skies were threatening, I went out to ride in a city park close by that provides some moderately challenging terrain. I was hoping to get about a five mile ride in before the weather got bad. I had mapped out my route before going, but since I had not ridden there before I was not familiar with where all the trails went. I was having fun and I missed the place where I had intended to turn off to the trail to take me back to my pickup. About that time I was crossing an open area on the top of the bluff and it started lightning and thundering pretty intensely.
Now I often talk to God while I'm on little outings because it is usually a good time to do so. There generally aren't too many interruptions. [Sometimes I also ask for help to keep breathing.] Well I mentioned to Him that I noticed the static electrical show that was dancing around me was impressive, but it was also making me a little uncomfortable and that I understood that I needed to get back, but the trail was leading away from where my truck was parked. I reasoned that it shouldn't be too much further to where the trail was supposed to head back the other way so I went on a little farther, maybe another 1/4 mile. *** This is where it ties back to the fine tuning. ***
I need a digital tuner so that I can clearly GET the frequency God is broadcasting to me on. Somehow it seems
that I am still using an analog tuner that gets a little fuzzy from time-to-time and I am not quite getting the clear signal. And I think the lightning was messing with the reception too.
I know God speaks clearly
, so the reception problem has to be on this end. God said, "You should stop and go back that other way to the truck." What I got was something like, "You should <crackle> go <crackle> that <crackle> way to the truck."
Okay, so not really... there weren't any static crackles in the reception, though there really was plenty of electrical static. I confess that there was just that stupid thing in me that says "just a little further and I can turn around there and go back..."

"I'm sorry Lord. You spoke. I heard, but I only kinda listened. Thank You for having mercy on this servant and only allowing me to get a little wet, when if I had really listened I would have been back at my pickup before the rain started to fall. You truly are merciful."

Oh, and as for the analog tuner, I think I need to replace it with a digital tuner attached to a PA system so it can get through my
hearing difficulty.

--God bless.

6 comments:

Chris Krycho said...

I can sympathize with that feeling.

A lot.

It's funny how we trick ourselves into thinking that we really do have a good excuse for not listening to the Spirit, when really we haven't any. (Jeremiah 17:9 comes to mind: it seems rather apropos.) I've been running into the same thing at times in various areas.

It's also interesting trying to discern if you're hearing aright. Learning to make sure you are is... hard. But good.

Love you.

Anonymous said...

There is one poignant time when I did not listen to the Holy Spirit which resonates in my mind everytime this subject comes up. We were teaching a SS class years ago, and a couple visited. I distinctly remember God telling me to leave them alone, but I didn't ... I "courted" them for our class (for lack of a better word). And they did join *our* class ... too much pride for me. And, boy, did we ALL pay for that over time ... but especially me. Mean spirited and divisive and back stabbing, etc. I'll never forget it.

There are many other times, too, but this one always stands out ... probably b/c it had such a powerful impact on me.

"It's also interesting trying to discern if you're hearing aright. Learning to make sure you are is... hard. But good."

This is a difficult place of discernment, Chris. I often pray that God would weed out every voice that is not His so that His voice is the only one I hear. I pray that God would reveal to me again what I believe to be from Him so that I know for certain *this* is from God and not from any other source. (James 3:14-16). When I pray for wisdom, I always pray for God's wisdom ... I do not want any other wisdom getting mixed in there.

The infamous verse ... "And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose." I did some deeper study on this verse once. You know, we're all being called ... called by God, called by Satan, called by parents, siblings, children, friends, spouses, teachers, people, etc ... and everyone who calls us has a purpose, a motive, and we get to choose whose calling we accept. No one but God has our pure good in their heart b/c no one else can b/c no one else is God. When we love God, when we choose to follow the call of God, or His voice, or His direction, or His plea (which, sometimes, does come thru others including parents ;), then we can rest confident that all things will work together for our good b/c Sovereign, Holy God can and does work all things for our good ... b/c His purpose IS our good, whether we can see it or not.

It's a place of peace ... a knowing ... that no matter what I can *see* or cannot *see* that God truly is God, and I trust Him.

Anonymous said...

Also, I think it is important to note that, even when we mess up, God looks at our heart ... like He did with David. David really messed up, but his heart longed for and loved God's heart. God knows we're gonna mess up. It's our heart that He's most concerned with.

There is a place for the "waiting," but often we use that as an excuse for doing nothing. Once we have prayed and prayed and listened and listened and prepared and prepared, and we need to do something ... we simply need to do it. Will we always get it right? Nope. But that's okay ... it's our heart God is concerned about ... and He takes all these things and causes them to work together for our good according to His purpose when our hearts long for Him.

Chris Krycho said...

Thanks, Ame. Some of what you shared there was confirmation - that I very much needed to hear - of things I've shared with very few people about. I love God, and the way He uses people. :)

Blessed son of the King said...

It is always, always important to hear what God is saying. I'm pretty sure He is always speaking to us, if only we will still all the other noise to listen to Him.

Romans 8:28 - Didja ever notice that the word "for" often gets substituted for the word "to" (to those who love God) when we are considering that verse.
Just something I think about... the difference between God working good to those who love Him and are called according to His purpose vs. God working good for those....
Maybe it is just a slight semantic variation or maybe God had an intent in the wording.

Ame, you are so right, God is most definitely concerned about our hearts.

Anonymous said...

that quote is from the NAS version.

NIV:
"And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose."

NLT:
"And we know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them."

ESV:
"And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose."


it is interesting. when i studied the verse, i looked up every word in the greek - i love doing those kinds of word studies.

Chris - God IS amazing :) It is truly ALL of Him and nothing of me ... as my mentor always said ;)