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Pin Your Ears Back
'Be quick to listen, slow to speak' James 1:19
Ezekiel is God's microphone turned up to ten. His first seven years of opening his gob for God are spent spitting harsh words about God's judgement. Then he's asked to speak out against seven mighty nations.
Finally he's given the task of shouting God's hope and future for this world. Phew! With all that talking you'd expect that Ezekiel would start off his job with a course of elocution lessons or be sent off to 'speech school'. Not so.
For his first seven days of on-the-job training he doesn't utter a sentence. He sits in complete shock with bitterness and anger in his spirit. Amongst all his fellow refugees he listens, soaking in their sorrowful atmosphere.
We could all learn a thing or two from Ezekiel's crash course in 'pinning your ears back'. Often as eager-beaver Christians we want to fix people's problems right there and then.
We can shoot straight to the solution without first listening to the problem. For example, we shoot our mouth off to the person who is lonely that God will be their friend (which is true) but maybe we need to soak up some of that loneliness before we dive in with our theology.
Sometimes God may be asking you to be a shoulder to cry on rather than a mouthpiece. So be like Ezekiel and pin your ears back before you open your gob.
written by Bob Gass
'Be quick to listen, slow to speak' James 1:19
Ezekiel is God's microphone turned up to ten. His first seven years of opening his gob for God are spent spitting harsh words about God's judgement. Then he's asked to speak out against seven mighty nations.
Finally he's given the task of shouting God's hope and future for this world. Phew! With all that talking you'd expect that Ezekiel would start off his job with a course of elocution lessons or be sent off to 'speech school'. Not so.
For his first seven days of on-the-job training he doesn't utter a sentence. He sits in complete shock with bitterness and anger in his spirit. Amongst all his fellow refugees he listens, soaking in their sorrowful atmosphere.
We could all learn a thing or two from Ezekiel's crash course in 'pinning your ears back'. Often as eager-beaver Christians we want to fix people's problems right there and then.
We can shoot straight to the solution without first listening to the problem. For example, we shoot our mouth off to the person who is lonely that God will be their friend (which is true) but maybe we need to soak up some of that loneliness before we dive in with our theology.
Sometimes God may be asking you to be a shoulder to cry on rather than a mouthpiece. So be like Ezekiel and pin your ears back before you open your gob.
written by Bob Gass
