Do you talk too much?
Do you continue to speak even when you sense something inside of you telling you to just be quiet?
Do you find yourself constantly complaining about everything from the service at the restaurant to the temperature in the church building?
If you answered yes to any of the above questions it may be time for you to just sit down and listen...
James said, "Be swift to hear but slow to speak". But he was also quick to point out that it would not be easy. Yet still, I believe one of his most profound statements on the subject was that blessing and cursing ought not to proceed out of the same mouth.
How often do you find yourself speaking well of one thing only to without mercy criticize your next subject? It is true that some things warrant criticism, but most of us rarely say anything constructive even when we do find something that needs to be corrected. Instead, we just complain.
In Joshua 6:10, the Hebrew people are called together and told to be quiet for six days. Why? Was it just a test of their level of obedience?
I believe the main reason Joshua told them to be quiet is because he had experience dealing with people on the verge of destiny, but facing formidable foes.
Moses had led the people out of Egyptian bondage with Joshua by his side. However, when they arrived at their Promised Land, before God could work a miracle on their behalf, Numbers 14 says that the Jewish people began to complain to the point that God was so upset with them that He almost killed them all. FYI: God does not like complainers!
From the past experience of Numbers 14, Joshua knew that if he allowed the people to continue to talk then they were sure to begin to criticize how ridiculous what they were doing actually was.
Can't you just hear them now:
"Why are we wasting time walking around these walks without weapons?"
"Doesn't Joshua know this is tiresome, walking around and around this city? And of all things, the Jericho people are laughing at us!"
"This is a disaster waiting to happen... We are all going to die! Jericho is the most fortified city in this part of the world and here we are walking around it in circles... What's he going to suggest next? That we, huff and puff and blow the walls down?"
Joshua recognized the potential for his people to say all of the above and more, so he simply commanded them to be quiet. The result? They did not have the opportunity to complain their way out of the miraculous and on the seventh day something good happened! The walls of Jericho came down and the rest is history...
Morale of my rambling: Shhhh! Stop complaining. Something good is about to happen!!!
1 comment:
I was just telling Jason the other day that I have been praying for God to tell me when to speak and not to speak. I have found it amusing that God wants me to hush much more often then He wants me to talk. It is a work in progress and sometimes I don't listen well. I do agree that often times God would just like us to quit talking so much and listen more...especially if what we are saying is not positive.
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