Paying Attention

It has been said that the way to love someone is to listen to them.
Listening is an art.
It is not something we do well.
We often are thinking of the next thing to say or our reply to what is being said.

To be all there, to be really present, is a gift to those sharing their hearts.
To hear what is said and what is not said is so important.
To pick up on nuances or body language is a rare skill.
To be a good listener requires practice and selflessness.

Unfortunately, we have all done it.
We start out listening attentively and then our mind wanders.
We could be going over a grocery list or thinking about things we have to do.
We have zoned out and are not present in spirit, though we are physically present.

I remember trying to get a thousand things done when my children were little.
One of them was telling me a story, as I was busy around the kitchen as they talked.
Mommy, you’re not listening!
I am, sweetie. Mommy hears everything you are saying.

Suddenly, I felt a hand on my arm.
I looked down and then stooped down to be eye level with my child.
My face was now between two sticky hands.
The important story continued without missing a beat.

I was listening but I was not present.
I was not giving my full attention or eye contact to the precious speaker.
I was minimizing the importance of what was being said, by not fully engaging.
I have never forgotten that valuable lesson taught by a child.

King Ahab and his wife, Jezebel, did evil in the eyes of the Lord.
They worshiped the gods Baal and Asherah.
Other kings before Ahab had worshiped idols.
However, Ahab and Jezebel wanted to wipe out all worship of the One, True God.

Elijah was a prophet of God.
Elijah told Ahab that it would not rain until God said so.
Consequently, there was a severe famine in the drought-ridden land.
King Ahab, caring more about his animals than the people, tried to find water for them.

Ahab and Jezebel had 450 prophets of Baal that were summoned to Mt. Carmel.
Elijah confronted Ahab about his abandonment of the Lord and his worship of Baal.
Elijah wanted to have a show down on top of Mt. Carmel.
It was the ultimate battle between good and evil.

In the time of Joshua, the people were confronted with their sinfulness.
You are not able to serve the Lord. He is a holy God; He is a jealous God. He will not forgive your rebellion and your sins. If you forsake the Lord and serve foreign gods, He will turn and bring disaster on you and make an end of you, after He has been good to you. But the people said to Joshua, “No, we will serve the Lord.” (Joshua 24:19-21)

Now, not too long after they turned back to the Lord, the people turned away again.
They turned to the worship of idols and forgot the Lord.

Elijah went before the people and said, “How long will you waver between two opinions? If the Lord is God, follow Him; but if Baal is god, follow him.” But the people said nothing.
(1 Kings 18:21)

We will serve the Lord.
The people said nothing.

Two opinions; two vastly different outcomes.

Then Elijah said to them, “I am the only one of the Lord’s prophets left, but Baal has 450 prophets. Get two bulls for us. Let them choose one for themselves and let them cut it into pieces and put it on the wood but not set fire to it. I will prepare the other bull and put it on wood but not set fire to it. Then you call on the name of your god, and I will call on the name of the Lord. The god who answers by fire, he is God. Then all the people said, “What you say is good.” Elijah said to the prophets of Baal, “Choose one of the bulls and prepare it first, since there are so many of you. Call on the name of your god, but do not light the fire. So they took the bull given them and prepared it. Then they called on the name of Baal from morning till noon. “O, Baal, answer us!” they shouted. But there was no response; no one answered….no one paid attention. (1 Kings 18:22-26,29)

This is one of the saddest passages in God’s Word.
People trusting in a god that cannot hear them, a god who does not pay attention.
People trusting in a god who is no god at all.
People trusting in an idol, fashioned by their own hands.

We will serve the Lord.
The people said nothing.

Answer us!
There was no response, no one answered, no one paid attention.
A sad commentary when you put anything else in the place of God.

Elijah repaired the altar of the Lord, which was in ruins.
He built an altar with twelve stones, representing the twelve tribes of Israel.
He cut the bull in pieces and arranged the wood on the altar.
He dug a trench, poured four large jugs of water over the sacrifice, repeated three times.

“Answer me, O Lord, answer me, so these people will know that You, O Lord, are God, and that You are turning their hearts back again.” Then the fire of the Lord fell and burned up the sacrifice, the wood, the stones, and the soil, and also licked up the water in the trench. When all the people saw this, they fell prostrate and cried, “The Lord, He is God! The Lord, He is God!”
(1 Kings 18:37-39)

The God who answers, He is God.
The God who pays attention.
The God who listens.

If you want to show someone you love them, listen to them.
God loves His people.
God hears their cries.
God listens.
God answers.

We will serve the Lord.