Stop Yelling Already!

(Psalm 34:15) The eyes of the Lord watch over those who do right; his ears are open to their cries for help.

I have this student at school who yells…a lot.  He has so much built up frustration, because of circumstances in his life that he cannot help, and his immediate response to anything he does not like is to bark out insults, and/or snide retorts.  He often throws and kicks things across the room in rage-induced tantrums, and he will even turn and destroy the items and classwork of his peers.  This child yells more than he speaks at a normal volume, and as aggravating as it is, I find myself feeling sad for him because I can’t imagine spending my days like that.  He just cannot seem to consistently make the right choices.  When he yells all day long, his teachers stop hearing his words, because the only thing we can hear is the noise he creates.    

Much like my little buddy who screams 24-7, we sometimes get caught up in a negative loop of sin and foolish decision making.  Our lives become a chaotic fusion of failures and selfishness, and there just isn’t any room for righteousness in that kind of mix.  We push God out of our lives a little more with every hidden transgression…every ignored disgrace.  It’s as if  we are yelling insults in the face of God, and after a while there is only so much He will tolerate.  Eventually we are just noise.

On the flip side, there is a certain confidence that comes from personal and spiritual righteousness.  When we are operating in love and humility, when we are in right relationship with our Heavenly Father, when we have made an effort to remove sin from our lives to the best of our abilities, we can be sure that our cries for help will be heard. 

We know that God doesn’t listen to sinners, but he is ready to hear those who worship him and do his will. (John 9:31)

More than anything, I want to be sure that God hears my words…not just the noise that I am creating.  Like the song that says, “His eye is on the sparrow, and I know He watches me,” I want to walk in the confidence of knowing that the eyes of God are watching over me. 

Prayer:  Heavenly Father, I understand that sin is a problem that I must face every day of my life.  Help me to deal with my failures as they come, rather than allowing them to compile into a nasty heap. May my life be pleasing sight to Your eyes and my voice a glorious sound to Your ears.  Amen.