Ears to Hear

Not long ago I was working on my laptop, and I had the strangest thought. It’s been a long time since I did a full backup of my data. I’d better do that. I know I should do regular backups, but it’s something I often don’t think about until after the computer is shut down for the night. So it had been several months since my last one. I responded to the nudge and backed up all my critical data.
Three days later while I was working, I heard a sizzle and pop and my laptop died. Gone. Unrecoverable. My first thought was Thank You, Lord! I have a backup.

The other day I boarded an airplane with my carry-on bag, only to find that the overhead bins on the plane were full. I had to check my carry-on. In the seconds before I turned the bag over to the flight attendant, something made me remove the most important item inside – the hand-edited manuscript for my latest book, which was due on my editor’s desk in one week’s time. Though I wasn’t at all worried about my bag, some nearly unheard voice whispered that I’d better keep that manuscript within reach. To lose it would mean weeks of lost work.

Guess what didn’t arrive at my destination? My carry-on. Again, my first thought was Thank You, Lord!

I believe that God speaks to us all the time. I don’t always listen like I should, but I’m getting better at recognizing His voice, and responding. Oh, the headaches the Lord has saved me through those gentle nudges! Some might say they were coincidences, but I know better. My prayer lately is for ears to hear every word He speaks to me.

PRAYER: Lord, open my ears today, so I will hear You clearly.

“He that hath ears to hear, let him hear,” Matthew 11:15 KJV.

Today’s devotion is by Virginia Smith, the author of a dozen novels including Stuck in the Middle, which was a finalist for the 2009 American Christian Fiction Writers Book of the Year award. Her newest book is Third Time’s a Charm, the satisfying conclusion to the Sister-to-Sister Series. Learn more about Ginny and her books at www.VirginiaSmith.org.