Are You Listening to God?

They said to Moses, ’You speak with us, and we will hear; but let not God speak with us, lest we die’ `—Exodus 20:19

We don’t consciously and deliberately disobey God— we simply don’t listen to Him. God has given His commands to us, but we pay no attention to them— not because of willful disobedience, but because we do not truly love and respect Him. “If you love Me, keep My commandments” (John 14:15). Once we realize we have constantly been showing disrespect to God, we will be filled with shame and humiliation for ignoring Him. 

“You speak with us, . . . but let not God speak with us . . . .” We show how little love we have for God by preferring to listen to His servants rather than to Him. We like to listen to personal testimonies, but we don’t want God Himself to speak to us. Why are we so terrified for God to speak to us? It is because we know that when God speaks we must either do what He asks or tell Him we will not obey. But if it is simply one of God’s servants speaking to us, we feel obedience is optional, not imperative. We respond by saying, “Well, that’s only your own idea, even though I don’t deny that what you said is probably God’s truth.”

Am I constantly humiliating God by ignoring Him, while He lovingly continues to treat me as His child? Once I finally do hear Him, the humiliation I have heaped on Him returns to me. My response then becomes, “Lord, why was I so insensitive and obstinate?” This is always the result once we hear God. But our real delight in finally hearing Him is tempered with the shame we feel for having taken so long to do so.

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我非聽不可嗎？

（百姓）對摩西說：求你和我們說話，我們必聽。不要神和我們說話，恐怕我們死亡。 （出二十19）

我們並不是有意違背神，只是我們並不重視神。神給我們命令，我們卻不理會。這不是出於故意的反叛，而是我們不愛他，也不尊敬他。 [你們若愛我，就必遵守我的命令。 ]我們如果覺察自己一直在輕慢神，就必滿面羞愧自咎，因為我們沒有把他放在眼裡。

[求你和我們說話……不要神和我們說話。 ]這表示我們愛神多麼少，寧可聽他的僕人。我們喜歡聽認得見證，卻不願神向我們說話。我們何以會害怕神對我們說話呢？因為知道神一開口，就事在必行；除非我們告訴神，我們不肯聽從。若是神僕人的說話，就覺得不是絕對的命令，我們會說：[嗯，那不過是你個人的見解，雖然我不否認這可能是真理。 ]

神一直把我如兒女般看待，而我卻老是不理睬他。我是否把神貶低而羞辱他？若我真真不聽見他，那我加在他身上的羞愧便會回到我的頭上——[主啊，為什麼我這樣愚頑？ ]每次聽見神的時候，總會有這種感覺。聽見神的聲音，我們會愧喜交集，以為聽從得如此遲緩。

祈禱◆噢，主啊，我要尋求你的面，但若你不啟示你自己，我的尋求又有何用處？讓我看見你的面，噢，主啊。讓我能永遠看見你。