My one-year-old granddaughter sits in church with her parents until the children are dismissed for children’s church just before the sermon. My daughter-in-law then brings her to the nursery so she and my son can listen to the pastor’s sermon without interruption. My granddaughter loves the time of worship and seems to pay attention as well as any one-year-old is able to. Recently, as the pastor was integrating some spiritual thoughts in preparation for the sermon, he said, “And what does God say . . .” But before he could finish his sentence, my granddaughter said, “Woof woof!” She didn’t quite get it right—but she was listening!

Isaiah 28:23 says, Listen and hear my voice; pay attention and hear what I say.

Proverbs 2:6 says, For the Lord gives wisdom; from his mouth come knowledge and understanding. 

We are blessed to live in a land of religious freedom where we can worship as we choose. We are blessed to live in an age when Christian books fill the book shelves and a Bible study can be downloaded with the click of a mouse. God’s Word, pastors’ sermons, Bible commentaries, and biblical studies are available to everyone.  But in order to benefit and grow spiritually, we need to use them and we need to listen.

Before you go to church, before you open the Bible, or before you dig into a Bible study, pray and ask the Holy Spirit to open your heart and mind to hear and understand God’s truth. The wisdom and understanding that come from God enable us to make better choices in our lives. And the more we grow in our spiritual journey, the more we will be able to live a life guided by the Holy Spirit.

He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. Revelation 3:22

Crystal Bowman