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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