Many, O Lord my God, are Your wonderful works Which You have done; And Your thoughts toward us Cannot be recounted to You in order; If I would declare and speak of them, They are more than can be numbered. Sacrifice and offering You did not desire; My ears You have opened. Burnt offering and sin offering You did not require. Psalm 40:5-6, NKJV.
How many times has your mind wandered during a sermon or hymn? Yeah, me too. But the times when I have truly listened have been the biggest blessings.
However--maybe the psalmist wasn't referring to the sense of hearing but rather to the Still Small Voice that is so hard to discern unless we're silent and listening for the Lord's whisper.
It's hard to blot out all the noises in our heads. Being silent and listening for Him is tougher, at least for me, than running the four-minute mile. The more determined I am, the more I slip into the mainstream. It seems like those moments are rare and often unplanned. Not that they don't happen with purpose, but sometimes they come upon me in a sweet surprise. Sunrises often do that to me, or sunsets, in the moments of gratitude.
How do they come upon you? Or don't you ever get one of those still moments with God? I hope you do. Maybe we should try calling out to the Holy Spirit to help us listen, as this song does.
Here's the second verse (begun last Monday):
Open my ears, that I may hear
Voices of truth Thou sendest clear;
And while the wave notes fall on my ear,
Everything false will disappear.
Refrain 2:
Silently now I wait for Thee,
Ready my God, Thy will to see,
Open my ears, illumine me,
Spirit divine!
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