Matthew 13:43 – Then the righteous will shine like the sun in the kingdom of their Father. He who has ears, let him hear. (NIV)

Jesus often ended His parables with this phrase: "He who has ears, let him hear". I have a friend who has just returned from a family vacation in Hawaii. She was commenting on how she would sit on the beach in the early morning for her "alone time" with God, with the large waves crashing on the shore. But during the day, when she was busy with her family, she realized that she didn't even notice the sound of the waves. They were still there, but if she didn't stop to listen, she wouldn't hear them.

This made me think back to a time in my youth when I would go and visit one of my friends in Nova Scotia, Canada, whose home was next to the train tracks. For the first couple of nights, all I would hear was the trains going back and forth, but after that, I discovered that I would sleep quite peacefully and not even hear the trains at night.

I wonder how often we miss hearing God's voice in the same way. Maybe, we have to stop and listen. Just like the waves crashing against the shore or the noise of the train, God is with us — He hasn't gone away. Let's take the time today to stop and listen to His voice.

Prayer: Lord, we thank You that You are always with us. Help us to stop and listen to Your voice in our lives. Help us not to get so busy with the affairs of our life that we forget to listen to Your voice. Amen.