Huh?
“Incline your ear and hear the words of the wise, and apply your heart to my knowledge.” Proverbs 22:17
Conversation between a three-year-old and his daddy early one morning:
Toddler: Daddy. I want bar. (Breakfast bar)
Daddy: Huh?
Toddler: You get me bar?
Daddy: Huh?
Toddler: Daddy, don’t say huh!
Daddy: Huh?
Toddler: Rrrrrrr!
This goes on for awhile and the toddler begins to cry.
Daddy: Don’t cry. I’m going to get you a breakfast bar. I’m just trying to show you what it’s like when someone says ‘huh’ all the time like you do.
Toddler: Oh, okay. Daddy, you stop that now.
Daddy: (gives the toddler his breakfast bar) Here you go. Now you can go play.
Toddler: Huh?
This was a true to life scenario in my family a few weeks back and we all got a good laugh out of it. As I thought about it though, I wondered how many times I had played this scene out with God.
God speaks to my heart something I don’t want to deal with or think about or obey or repent of and I say “Huh?” It’s a stall tactic. I don’t really want to say no to God (that’s just dumb), but I can say “Huh?” I can push Him away. I can pretend I didn’t really hear that. Thus I avoid His word to me. Maybe He’s not talking to me after all. I am avoiding God.
Psalm 32:8-9 says, “I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; I will guide you with My eye. Do not be like the horse or the mule, which have no understanding, which must be harnessed with bit and bridle, else they will not come near you.”
Delayed obedience is disobedience. I have had to repent of my reluctant response. It is far better to have a heart like Mary, the mother of Jesus. She promptly responded, “Behold, the maidservant of the Lord. Let it be to me according to your word” (Luke 1:38).
Father, may I learn to follow as You lead, to answer when You call, and to draw near You without hesitation. May my obedience please You. Amen.
Amen!
I’ve been struggling with this as well. Thank you for this!
I really loved this. Just this morning I was questioning if God really spoke something to me that He wanted me to do yesterday. Yesterday I was confident the Lord was showing me the path to take to redirect my life. I was excited about it and then the enemy came in and had a field day with my family. My attention was now focused on fixing the family situation I am in and I woke up doubting if God really spoke to me. Thank you for reminding me that God does really speak to us and we need to be in a relationship with him continually to know and follow his voice, and to pay close attention to what he reveals to us.