Day 54: Staying in Tune

Reading: Psalm 25:8-15

When we open our ears to hear what God is saying to us, we drop our own plans and agendas, and cling to humility. God is only audible to those who are open to Him. Sometimes we may wonder why we can't hear where God is leading us, but really, we need to look into our own hearts and straighten up our motives and pride. This part of Psalm 25 really expresses that fear of The Lord, that is awe of The Lord, and humility are key in seeing the path He wants for us. He will be friends with those who are humble and fear Him, and they will prosper for many generations. Be humble and in awe before God, and He will teach you His ways and His path, because you'll be receptive to them.


Reading: Mark 7:1-30

Sometimes our ability to hear God's Word is muffled by our rituals and traditions. We see a great example of this as Jesus goes back and forth with the Pharisees about caring for elderly parents. They try to dodge the "honor your father and mother" commandment with the tradition of giving all their wealth to God. Jesus has something to say about this however, pointing out firmly that this is a misuse of His Name (commandment #3), and that God's Word always takes priority and precedence over tradition and rituals. What we put into our hearts is what comes out. We can clearly see the motives of these Pharisees' hearts in that they didn't want to take care of their parents, thus dodging God's commandment by using God. Pretty malicious and manipulative.
What we need to remember when applying this concept to our lives, is that we should never cling to our rituals and traditions when God's Word calls us to do something else. We can certainly relate to this within the church. Traditions are nice and fun, but people and love are more important. God calls us to love and bring the lost to Him. A fight over pews and hymns are inward focused. A fight over how to bring in the lost and those who don't know God is outward focused. Check your motives in the church. Check your agenda and allow God's agenda. Listen to His calling to us to make disciples, and to seek the lost.


Reading: Exodus 33:7-34:35

Moses longed to be in tune with God's plan. He wanted to be apart of them, telling God to be their Presence or they could not continue on the journey. He asked for God's plan, and God lays out the plan and the instructions. When we hear from God, we have a glow, much like Moses had a radiant face. Our glow comes from knowing God is in control. We put our trust in Him, and let Him take the reigns. Moses allowed God to take the reigns all throughout their journey out of Egypt and through the wilderness. When we give God control and stay in tune with His will for our lives, we can rest easy, and take the pressure off. This doesn't mean we won't face hardship and trials, but we can trust God to pull us through them. When we stay in tune and in communication with Him, like we would our friends and family, we can trust Him to work in our lives. Moses had a special relationship with God, and we can have the same intimacy with Him when we decide to consult with Him for His plans.


Staying in tune with God and really hearing His instruction and will for our lives is a way we can relax in His work. When we give it over to Him, we can rest in faith, trusting Him to carry and lead us through all of life's situations. Stay in tune through prayer, quiet times and His Word.