LISTENING FOR GOD

President Franklin D. Roosevelt got tired of smiling that big smile and saying the usual things at all those White House receptions. So, one evening he decided to find out whether anybody was paying attention to what he was saying. As each person came up to him with extended hand, he flashed that big smile and said, "I murdered my grandmother this morning." People would automatically respond with comments such as "How lovely!"

Nobody listened to what he was saying, except one foreign diplomat. When the president said, "I murdered my grandmother this morning," the diplomat responded softly, "I’m sure she had it coming to her."

The problem today is not that God is not speaking but rather we are not listening for Him. It’s not the Lord who is not speaking, but it’s us who are not hearing.

(SOURCE: from a sermon by Jimmy Chapman, "I Lay Me Down to Sleep" 7/3/08 SermonCentral.com)