POPCORN EAR

¹⁴ “Therefore I am now going to allure her; I will lead her into the desert and speak tenderly to her.

Hosea 2:14 (NIV)

Popcorn kernels.  They have one main use—popping for popcorn.  Perhaps they can be used to make a craft for mom but popping is their main function.  You pop them, add a bit of melted butter, and some salt and you’ve got a magical snack.

Here’s what you don’t do with them—popcorn kernels do not belong in your ear.  Trust me.  Believe it or not I learned the hard way.  It was one of my earliest memories.  Apparently I had popped one in the old ear.  I don’t know what drove me to it.  It wasn’t a dare.  Maybe I thought it was the perfect size to fit in.  It just didn’t want to come out.  I do remember going to the old Valley Children’s Hospital and having my ear violated by a doctor.  He ended up forever injuring my ear.  Now I can’t hear too well in old popcorn-ear.   Perfect example:  If I’m at a restaurant and there’s a lot of conversations going on around me I can’t hear the person in front of me speaking to me.  And if I get a phone call in that environment, forget it.  I won’t be able to hear a thing.  I have to leave to a place where things are quiet, away from everyone else so I can hear well.

The same goes with our relationship with God.  God likes to take us away, separated from others so we can hear Him.  For some of us that’s the only way we’ll hear.  We get so drawn to the other voices that His voice is drowned out.  He takes us to the “wilderness” away from it all to speak to us.  And what He says goes down deep, passes our ears, passes our minds and pierces our hearts.  When it says that He will speak tenderly to her it literally means He will speak ON her heart.  Yes, on it.  That means what He says will make an impression on it, soothing it.  I don’t know about you but I’d like that.  So many things in this world finds its way in our hearts, the wellspring of our lives, and what I really need is His Words tattooed on my heart.  And if you want it also you need to get away to a quiet place to hear His voice.

Questions to consider:

Why is it hard to hear God in this loud world?

What must we do to hear God?

Why do you need God to speak on your heart?

Prayerfully answer this next question:  What has the world imprinted on your heart that needs to be removed?