I Only Have Two Ears

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fternoons at our house were standard fare.  We hit the house full force, dropped our schoolbooks, turned on the television and the radio, got something to eat from the kitchen, and then started talking on the telephone with friends we had seen not more than fifteen minutes earlier at school.  The more noise in the house, the better we liked it.  We were just normal teenagers, doing what normal teenagers do: watching television, listening to the radio, talking on the phone, and stuffing our faces.  Life was good.  Then mom came home!

I remember days when mom would come into our den, holding her ears because the noise level was deafening.  As soon as we saw her, we began asking questions in rapid-fire-succession.  What were we going to eat for supper?  Had she washed my favorite shirt?  Did she have any money?  What time were we going to eat?  As you can imagine, sometimes this was a bit overwhelming for her. 

On more than one occasion I remember her turning off the television or the radio and making the following statement, “I only have two ears!!”  I never appreciated that statement until recently and I can honestly say I now understand what mom meant.  Just the other day, I was trying to grab just a few minutes of downtime.  But the phone rang off the hook; someone was knocking at the door, and every attempt I made to get still resulted in utter failure.

In addition to all the exterior noises, my insides were in complete and utter turmoil.  The list of things I needed to accomplish was very long and growing while the list of things I had accomplished that day was almost non-existent.  I was so frustrated, so agitated, and so disgusted I just threw up my hands.  I just wanted to find a place away from everyone where I could be alone for just a few seconds.  But the more I tried to be quiet and still, the more restless I became.

Have you ever been there?  Have you ever longed for just a few minutes of silence only to encounter deafening noise at every turn?  Is the level of noise on the inside greater than that on the outside?  Sadly, this seems to be the case for many of us.  Our lives are filled with so much noise that it is impossible to hear God’s voice even when we try.  We find it difficult to concentrate during our most intimate moments with God.  Our prayer time is a constant battle as our minds concentrate on everything besides talking with our Heavenly Father.

David understood the noise of life and all the distractions that fill our waking hours and rob us of peaceful sleep at night.  He knew what it was like to be pursued by enemies, to worry about food and shelter, and to be betrayed by his friends and loved ones.  But David also understood what it was to be quiet before God, to worship Him in spirit and in truth.  David understood that in order to hear God’s voice, he needed to be still and that stillness had to come from within, not from without.

In Psalm 131:2, David writes these words, “But I have stilled and quieted my soul;
like a weaned child with its mother, like a weaned child is my soul within me…”  This is a beautiful image of perfect peace and rest.  I remember so many times sitting on my mother’s lap as she rocked me, held me, and sang to me.  There was no greater feeling in all the world and no greater sense of security.  When I was in her arms, I had no worries.  I wasn’t frustrated, agitated, or upset.  I was completely relaxed and totally at peace.

This is exactly the picture David was painting in Psalm 131.  Like a child on his mother’s knee is calm and at rest, so are we to be with God.  He invites us into His arms where there is peace, rest, assurance, and comfort.  In His arms we can escape the cares of the world, we can block out all the noises that fill our minds and all the fears that fill our hearts.  When we are with Him, leaning on Him, resting in Him, then our souls are quiet and we are at total peace.  Then the only thing we will hear is His voice and the only thing we will feel is His arms as they enfold us in an embrace that will never let us go. 

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s it noisy where you are today?  Are you having difficulty hearing God’s voice amidst all the sounds around you?  Take David’s advice.  Still your spirit, calm your soul, lean on God, and rest in His arms.  He is waiting to hold you today!