Proud Ears Ponder Not

“Hear ye, and give ear; be not proud: for the LORD hath spoken.” (Jer 13:15 AV)

The number one reason we do not hear from God!  Pride will ruin everything!  The whole foundation of a relationship between the LORD and the saint is humility.  Humility on our part to know that we need to hear from God.  Humility to know that we are dependent upon the word of God.  Humility to know that without the word of God, we cannot survive.  Emotionally, physically, but especially spiritually.  It is pride that shuts down this directional conversation.  We have all experienced this in our filial relationships.

When we reached the age of reason, all of a sudden we thought we knew as much as our father.  If not more.  If he tried to teach us something, we blocked him out.  Even if we knew his advice was right, our independent streak kept us from hearing not just the advice, but the love behind it.  I remember one of my sons who had a particularly independent streak in him.  He would bicker with me over truth.  I remembered how I was and the example my father-in-law set when trying to help me.  I have the world’s best in-laws.  They never meddled.  Very rarely would they offer unsolicited advice or voice an opinion over a choice that we made.  When they did, we deserved the rebuke.  But may father-in-law set and example of patience that helped me with my son.  I had to remember that he was headstrong and had definite opinions.  I learned to keep quiet and not say a word until the LORD showed him truth.  What was the core issue?  Pride!  On both our parts.

However, with the LORD, pride is only one way.  From us to Him.  I hear a lot of people who claim to be saved say they get little out of the word of God.  There could be many reasons for this.  There could be unconfessed sin.  There could be a lack of prayer before reading.  But maybe the biggest reason is that we are too big for our britches.  Maybe our problem is pride!  Maybe God refuses to speak to someone who thinks he or she has more knowledge than they really do.  Maybe our pride is why God is silent.