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What Am I Saying?
Jon Burgess“As Moses and Elijah were starting to leave, Peter, not even knowing what he was saying, blurted out, “Master, it’s wonderful for us to be here! Let’s make three shelters as memorials —one for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah.” Luke 9:33
Have you ever had that feeling like you weren't sure what was going on just after waking up? It's possible Peter was feeling a bit disoriented when we interrupted a divine conversation between Elijah, Moses & Jesus. Perhaps, growing up with the Jewish traditions of tabernacles as his default, all he knew was to declare this holy ground and build a place for these Holy men to stay? Maybe, I'm just looking for excuses because, like Peter, I tend to open my mouth and talk before think. Regardless of the reason, scripture makes it clear that Peter spoke"not even knowing what he was saying." What's the solution to this big mouth problem? Well, according to Father God the solution is simple... "This is my Son, my Chosen One. Listen to him." (Luke 9:35)
There is a whole lot of talking going on in our Country right now that could be described as "not even knowing what he was saying." Whether it's the President flying off the handle at the NFL or the news media propagating a liberal bias in every story or the Hollywood elite saying whatever they feel like at the moment, we are surrounded by a war of words. Sound bites and video clips are flying at a breakneck pace and our attention spans are growing shorter by the minute. We've stopped taking time to look at both sides and properly weighing the pros and cons of each argument to make an informed decision. Instead, caught up in the emotion of the moment, we just blurt out whatever comes to mind! When the Father tells us to "Listen" to Jesus before sharing our latest opinion it means we've got to slow down long enough to do so. It's what James was getting at when he urged us to "be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry" (James 1:19). Can you imagine how much heartache, hurt and harmful words could be avoided if we stopped hurrying and started hearing again? What is the opposing side actually trying to say? What can I learn from their point of view? More importantly, what is Jesus trying to teach me through this difficult conversation? Am I letting my need to "be right" outweigh God's command to "be patient"?
Lord, I pray for our President and all the issues coming across His desk. I pray that You would give him wisdom with his words. I pray the same for me. I tend to let emotion drive my dialogue instead of wisdom. Let me learn to lead by listening and responding rather than by running and reacting. I want to build moments into my day where I'm hearing what You're saying so I can actually know what I'm saying.
