| Daily Devotional for July 10, 2024 Yesterday, Melissa gave me a list of those who watch our worship service online. It was big group. Being curious, I decided to watch the online worship service so I could see exactly what our online worshippers experienced. I was unimpressed. Don’t get me wrong. The musicians, liturgists, lay leader, and Pastor Scott did an incredible job. They were fantastic. Each of them excelled in their area and made the worship service a wonderful experience. Then came the sermon. As I watched myself begin to preach the sermon, I heard an irritating, nasally, high pitched twang. That was the moment I realized I have a voice like a Muppet with a head cold. It was so distracting; I couldn’t pay attention to the sermon. It was like listening to fingernails on a chalkboard. I began to get depressed. Luckily, I remembered that even though my voice might sound like a squeaky mouse, at least I have my good looks. Then I took a hard look at the man preaching the sermon. It wasn’t me. It was a short, not particularly good-looking man who had the charisma of an iguana. The only thing I could think was that someone had hacked our livestream broadcast and used AI to replace me with Lurch from The Adams Family. Needless to say, I was so distracted, I didn’t hear much of the sermon. This got me thinking. Do you ever let distractions get in the way of hearing God’s message for you? It’s easy to miss what God is trying to tell us as we run from one task to the next, always a day late and a dollar short. This sort of hectic lifestyle leaves very little opportunity to hear God above the constant roar of our overprogrammed lives. In the midst of our fast and furious schedules, God says, “Be still, and know that I am God.” (Psalm 46:10) It’s up to us to make the change. This morning, put down your cellphone and set aside any other distractions. Find a quiet, peaceful place, relax, and be still. Open your ears and heart to the calming presence of God and listen. It is in these sorts of moments when you will hear God speak. This is where you will find the strength to face whatever obstacles life throws at you. This is what will nurture your soul and you will hear God. Prayer: Dear Gracious Heavenly God, I am distracted by the never-ending demands of living in this world. Please allow me to hear you. I humbly ask for peace, direction, and purpose. In Jesus’ name I pray. Amen. Allowing distractions to prevent us from hearing God’s message leads to an anemic life. Removing distractions to hear God leads to a full life. The choice is ours. I pray each of us addresses the distractions of life so we can hear God speak. Also, just for the record, because I was still irritated that my voice and looks had distracted me from truly listening to the sermon, I asked Kay and Melissa what was my greatest asset for preaching? Was it my looks or my voice? Kay immediately said, “Both.” She is very wise. Melissa refused to respond. Instead, she stared at her computer screen and ignored the question. She is very wise. I pray your day is filled with joy and laughter. Tom Robbins |
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Daily Devotionals by Dr. Tom Robbins 