Hearing With Action
I remember when my kids were gaming. I’d say, “make sure you take care of your plate, ok?” Yep! I’d wait 5 seconds and say it again, “Crickets”. They weren’t listening AT ALL! They appeared to be, but they had no clue!
So I learned that when I said, “so you’ll take care of your plate”? “uh-huh” to add, “what did I just say?” They’d say, “Take care of the plate”. I’d say, YES! And I started to reward them with extra time on their game. Victory!
A more tragic example of hearing but not heeding took place on a night in January. People were talking about something called “O-rings”. Not tater tots or fries, but O-Rings. If you were thinking Onion 27, you are right!
There were some red flags raised about O-Rings by the head of the Space Shuttle launch approval team and how the cold temperatures could cause them to fail. That was in 1986, when engineers gathered at Cape Canaveral to make a call about the Challenger launch.
An engineer gave a warning. He was heard—but people didn’t listen. The next morning, Challenger lifted off. Just 73 seconds into flight, an explosion…you might remember. That is "hearing without heeding" which led to tragedy.
In the Hebrew language, the word Hineni means to hear with action. It is both listening and obedience in one breath. It’s an unguarded affirmation before all the facts are known. “I’m here”, I’m listening. (not gaming) fully attentive! It’s brave and humble.
Other places in the Bible, we see Hineni …active listening and agreeing to obedience to God, even before all the circumstances are known.
When God called to Moses from the burning bush, Moses said, Hineni. (I hear ya) When God asked Abraham to offer his only son as a sacrifice, Abraham said, Hineni w/o knowing what God was about to ask.
Hundreds of years later in Isaiah 6, when God asked who would go for him, a prophet willingly offered himself with a cry of Hineni , Send me!”
A young boy in the Bible,Samuel, heard a voice call his name. He thought it was from a high priest named Eli. Each time he heard the voice, he went to Eli and said, "What is it?" Eli kept telling him that he didn't call him.
Samuel kept hearing a voice and thought it was Eli. But it was actually God speaking to Samuel. Then finally, after Eli helped him understand that it wasn’t him who was calling, but it was God, the Bible says:
The LORD came and stood there, calling as at the other times, “Samuel! Samuel!” Then Samuel said, “Speak, for your servant is listening.” 1 Samuel 3:10
Samuel listened to God his whole life, and God used him in amazing ways.
We don’t know when or how God will call us. And that’s okay. What’s important is that we stay ready to respond when it happens.
What if God called your name out loud today? (Tammy, Bob, Rachel, Ashley, Lyndsey, Alex, Hannah) Are you ready to respond? Not even knowing what’s comin’?
Spend time with Him. Crack open your Bible. Listen to JOY99. Pray. It might not be audible, but, Like Samuel , you’ll hear Him! Listen. Don’t’ take a Tragic O-Ring approach. Take an O-K approach!
Here I am, Lord! Hineni. Send me!