But God Was Not Listening

By Jim Hammond 

The congregation had gathered to bring praise to God.   Worshipful words were sung.  The sounds were happy sounds filling the Worship Center.   The people's faces looked peaceful, eyes at times closed but pointed heavenward.   A few of them had reverent uplifted hands as if reaching up to the heavenly Father as a child might while asking to be picked up by his dad.  Their posture seemed right, the words seemed right, the music was sweet and melodious, but something was amiss.  God was not listening.  He was not pleased and the angels knew it.  The hearts of the people were far from God. 

The angels heard the rumblings from the throne room, and they shuddered to think what would happen.  They heard what God had spoken, "Away with the noise of your songs!  I will not listen to your music."[i]  The Angels looked again at the people singing.  These people were oblivious to God’s displeasure.  They had not heard what He had spoken.  They still sang their songs.  They still brought themselves before the almighty.   They sang songs asking for blessing, but no blessing would come.  They sang songs asking the Spirit to come fill them, but the Spirit was grieved.  They sang songs of celebration, but the angels looked at one another with anxious concern. 

The preacher got up to speak.  He preached about the power of prayer.  He preached about prayer moving the mighty arm of God. The people were listening with nodding approval.  Some were saying, "Amen."   The angels anxiously listened, but God wasn't listening at all.  The angels feared for the people.  Would these people they hoped to guard be able to stand firm through the judgment that was to come?  It seemed unlikely. Their faith was so infantile, no, worse than infantile--their faith was lukewarm[ii].  With their mouths they verbalized affirmation.  They prayed prayers of petition, asking for this, asking for that, "bless me Lord, bless me lord, do this for me Lord, please handle this problem, please handle that problem."  Nobody seemed at all concerned about what God wanted.  The creature was telling God what to do and refusing to serve the creator.

They rehearsed their favorite verses.  They claimed their favorite promises.  But they didn't seem to understand the heart of God at all.  The preacher kept preaching.  The people kept listening.  But nobody took God at His word.  The angels talked among themselves. 

“Had not the people heard?  Had they not been given sharp warnings?   Why are they so dull in their thinking?   God had warned them explicitly about ineffective prayers.  What can we do to bring those warnings once again to their attention?” 

"We could place a piece of paper with some scripture warnings on it for a churchman to stumble upon," suggested one angel.

“What verses would you put?” asked another. 

“I think I'd put the ones about God refusing to listen to the prayers of the unrepentant,”[iii]  responded a third angel.

Another angel responded, “They wouldn’t respond to a piece of paper like that, because they have already been given warning documents.  I think that, instead, we should write the warning words on the wall while the preacher is talking.  You know, really big, with a big hand like in the days of Daniel.[iv]  Somehow they need to be warned that God is not listening and in fact judgment rather than blessing is coming.” 

As the angels expressed their concerns, the preacher continued to preach.  "The loving God loves to listen to the prayers of his children", he said with a big smile.  Another angel who was still trying to listen to the preacher and his friends was struck by the contrast.   So he spoke up. 

“What if we suggest borrowing a warning prophet from another church where the Spirit speaks clearly, and with power?” 

Another objected, “But how would you convince the preacher of the need for such strong words of warning.  You know what that preacher thinks.  He thinks that smiling and making the people feel good with feel good words is the only way to reach these people.  You’ve heard yourself what he says, ‘People are turned off by the old fire and brimstone preaching.'  Sadly, I think he’s right about his congregation.  They would never stand for the bold truth about their errors." 

Another angel chimed in, “But his warnings are so soft, nobody heeds them.  His followers don’t fear God.  They keep on sinning.  They don’t care that they sin.  They tell themselves peace, peace-- don’t feel guilty; God loves you.[v]  Yet they just keep filling their minds with death and they call it entertainment.” 

“The things they do is not the worst of it.  Their hearts are bad.  Everyone lives for himself or herself.  Everyone thinks for themselves.”

“No, they don’t.  They don't think for themselves.  They think just like the father of lies, and just like everybody else caught in the snares of their world.”

“Yes, but they think they think for themselves.  Nobody cares what God thinks anymore.  They certainly don’t think like He does.”

“So what are we going to do?  The prophet thing or the handwriting thing?”

"My vote would be for the prophet thing."

Just then an emissary from the throne room came to them with a message.  The message simply read “Withdraw”. 

“I don’t believe it,” said one angel.  “Why?”

“He said something about removing their lamp stand from its place.”[vi]

“Oh no.  Did he say anything else?”

“Yes.  He said,  'Judgment is about to begin,'[vii] and, 'the time is come that judgment must begin at the house of God.'"[viii]