Day 292 Noise

 

10/19/2025

"The child learns to speak because his father speaks to him.

He learns the speech of his father. So we learn to speak to God because 

 God has spoken to us and speaks to us. By means of the speech of the 

Father in heaven His children learn to speak with Him.

Repeating God's own words after Him, we begin to pray to Him."

Dietrich Bonhoeffer

 

This has been an interesting Sunday, not exactly as I had planned it, but then my days seldom do go as planned. Nonetheless, they're enlightening in one way or another. I always learn something fresh and new, and I hope that I always do. 

Pastor Jack's verse of the day came from Philippians 1:9: "And this I pray, that your love may abound still more and more in knowledge and all discernment." That went well with my personal thoughts of the day. So much is happening in our nation, Israel, and the world's response. There is, to quote a friend, "a cacophony of noise" all around us, in response to current situations. There's so much discord and chaos, no one wanting to take responsibility for actions or reactions, and there is no accountability in our leaders, all leaders, and not just in government. It's a time where many are afraid of what's happening, and no one is giving appropriate answers, in fact no one is talking about what is actually going on. But that's simple really, because the answer is sin and pride, and if you examine the words sin and pride, what do you find that each word has in common? Let me help...SIN and PRIDE. "I" is in the center of each word, and that is generally the cause of many disputes in our lives, even in leaders. I won't belabor the point, because I've said it all before. Sometimes saying less is saying more. 

God allows difficulties to come into our lives, and into the nation, in order to test our characters. I've spoken of this also. I like the expression "All that glitters is not gold." Many people are talking about many new innovations or strategies, and I much prefer to compare every "process" or "idea" by asking God what He  thinks about things. That may sound foolish or impractical to some, but as believers and followers of Christ, everything is judged by scripture, or it should be. If we took time to study and know the Word of God, we would have less cause for medical assistance with prescriptions for anxiety and depression. All He asks is our love and obedience, and He wants us to have relationship with Him where we turn to Him and ask for help. God is not a crutch, He is active, alive, and responding to prayers. Our response is to keep on asking Him our questions and wait on His response. 

"Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened." Matthew 7:7-8

Sometimes the response is not one we want, as having to endure suffering never is, but God does allow situations to see our response and the check our sincerity. As an illustration, think about gold as it goes through the process of refining. All the dross or impurities have to be purged from gold in order to purify it and increase its value. In biblical times the proper way to purify gold was to put it in a crucible and expose it to extreme heat in order for it to melt. When the dross or impurities rises to the surface, they are skimmed off. The process is repeated until one's appearance is reflected in the refined gold. The process of cleaning the dross from our lives happens in much the same way. In the midst of persecution, when we are suffering, God puts us through the fiery trials to see if we can withstand the pressure in the evil days. As humans, we tend to dislike any discomfort or hardship, but as God walks with us through the valleys and storms, we can witness first hand His comfort and love, and we are able to endure the hardest of circumstances, because we love God and desire to do things the right way, His way. Life in Christ is a process of growth that requires walking with Him daily, learning to be more like Him. We are made in His image, and when we accept Jesus as Savior and Lord, then the process of transformation into His character begins.

It's important how we handle all matters, as we have others watching our response. More importantly, God is watching, and he does not take kindly towards those who cause another to stumble, especially little children. Regardless of how busy Jesus was, he preferred children, and he prayed for them and blessed them and called attention to them. So much more should we do all we can to be the light of Christ in their lives. Sadly, many children are raised without a father, so they often go astray seeking attention and learning the wrong way to survive. Single mothers do the best they can do, and many have been successful at raising their children to become responsible and respectful adults. The price is high for these mothers, but they want a better life for their children. I can understand this desire, and it comes at a heavy price. Men are supposed to be the heads of the household, the ones who love and care for their wives, and they are to nurture and train their children to be obedient, loving and kind, and prepare them for life. Sadly our best is not good enough, and our well intentions are not received as such, and there is no pie in the sky. If I could gather all the foster children together, provide a home with well cooked meals, teach them the lessons they need to know, beginning with introducing them to a God who loves them unconditionally, and whose love never changes, that would be my dream. Being able to give them a proper life, one where love leads to kindness and a desire to pass the qualities on to the next generation and the next. But time is running out, and rather than a generation who treats others well, where laughter and love for one's neighbor is the accepted way to live, we see a troubled, self-seeking, defiant people. The examples they see are adults struggling to get by with leadership that is consumed with power and greed, who cannot live in civility with one another, disagreement the order of the day, while others suffer the consequences of their wrong decisions. But the younger generation can be and are being reached, because when a person is starving, they want to be filled. In the case of the present generations, they are seeking truth that is tangible, not merely voiced, without seeing substance or the fruit of those words being lived in life. They need to learn the right language, and this is where the church and ministries birthed from the church come into play. This is why Turning Point USA was so effective in turning out leaders, giving the desire, the confidence, and the resources to make a difference in this world, for the next generation. There are other ministries working to the same end also, making young disciples who will change the world into a God-fearing nation. We cannot remove God from our lives.

We must turn off the noise, the distractions, the double minded behavior of this present day, and be the men and women of faith we were created to be. Fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom according to scripture, the Word of God as our guide. Learning to sit quietly with the Lord, making this our daily habit, seeking Him early. Relationships begin and end with Him. We must do better if this world is going to exist, and we must train up the children in the way they should go, so that when they come of age they will not forget. It is never too late for change.