Noise (Part 1)

Nehemiah 1:1-11 "The words of Nehemiah the son of Hachaliah. And it came to pass in the month Chisleu, in the twentieth year, as I was in Shushan the palace, That Hanani, one of my brethren, came, he and certain men of Judah; and I asked them concerning the Jews that had escaped, which were left of the captivity, and concerning Jerusalem.  And they said unto me, The remnant that are left of the captivity there in the province are in great affliction and reproach: the wall of Jerusalem also is broken down, and the gates thereof are burned with fire. And it came to pass, when I heard these words, that I sat down and wept, and mourned certain days, and fasted, and prayed before the God of heaven, And said, I beseech thee, O Lord God of heaven, the great and terrible God, that keepeth covenant and mercy for them that love him and observe his commandments: Let thine ear now be attentive, and thine eyes open, that thou mayest hear the prayer of thy servant, which I pray before thee now, day and night, for the children of Israel thy servants, and confess the sins of the children of Israel, which we have sinned against thee: both I and my father's house have sinned. We have dealt very corruptly against thee, and have not kept the commandments, nor the statutes, nor the judgments, which thou commandedst thy servant Moses. Remember, I beseech thee, the word that thou commandedst thy servant Moses, saying, If ye transgress, I will scatter you abroad among the nations: But if ye turn unto me, and keep my commandments, and do them; though there were of you cast out unto the uttermost part of the heaven, yet will I gather them from thence, and will bring them unto the place that I have chosen to set my name there. Now these are thy servants and thy people, whom thou hast redeemed by thy great power, and by thy strong hand. O Lord, I beseech thee, let now thine ear be attentive to the prayer of thy servant, and to the prayer of thy servants, who desire to fear thy name: and prosper, I pray thee, thy servant this day, and grant him mercy in the sight of this man. For I was the king's cupbearer."

How easily we can be distracted by the noise of many things, whether in our relationship with others or with the Lord. It's that noise that restricts revival, circumvents creativity, and cause confusion in the lives of believers. That noise or spiritual distraction can be anything that hinders us from receiving from God or doing our called work for Him.

Jesus told His followers that spiritual distraction begins with hearts that have grown dull, ears that are hard of hearing, and eyes that are closed:

Matthew 13:15 "For this people's heart is waxed gross, and their ears are dull of hearing, and their eyes they have closed; lest at any time they should see with their eyes and hear with their ears, and should understand with their heart, and should be converted, and I should heal them."

Using the illustration of a farmer scattering seed, Jesus compared the seed that fell among thorns to a person who hears God’s Word but whose heart is focused on other things:

Matthew 13:22 “He also that received seed among the thorns is he that heareth the word; and the care of this world, and the deceitfulness of riches, choke the word, and he becometh unfruitful."

There is great value in having times throughout each day when we turn off the noise that distracts our mind, heart, and focus on the Lord.

When Nehemiah was cupbearer to the king, his heart was deeply stirred over the situation of the Israelites back home and the condition of their city. With the king’s permission, he set out to rebuild Jerusalem. He encountered numerous obstacles along the way, but refused to let them distract him from the job at hand.

When Nehemiah cried out in prayer about his people and homeland , the Lord showed him exactly what to do. Then God caused the king to be favorably disposed toward the request and to provide everything needed. When we know we are right where God wants us to be, He will give us the confidence to move through trials without being sidetracked. He will block out the noise so we can hear His voice alone.

Nehemiah knew that the Lord’s priority for him was to rebuild the city and he had to keep his focus on it. God also has planned things for us to do, and His work is always of great value, no matter how small it seems to us. We must block out any interference that would hinder us from doing what He desires.

Following every crisis he faced, Nehemiah returned to the task at hand. By keeping the Lord’s goal in mind, he was able to stay on track to get the job done. We’ll be able to stay in our God-appointed place, carry out each step, and remain on course if we don't let the noise turn us from God's call on our lives.

There will always be those who seek to interrupt our work, divert our attention, or attack us personally. They make so much noise it's hard to stayed tuned into what God has called you to do and be. With the Lord’s help, Nehemiah recognized whom to listen to and whom to ignore. Think about people and situations that are likely to distract you. Being aware of their potential to get you off track can help you stay focused.

Noise makers cause a lot of difficulty, but their main purpose of distraction cannot stop the power of God. Jerusalem was rebuilt because Nehemiah kept his focus. With the help of the Holy Spirit so can you!