An Open Ear

By Ruth Kastberg
Staff Writer

I was on my way to work at the radio station that morning. A two-hour live broadcast was ahead of me, and I was not ready for it. That is when I got this nudging from God telling me I needed to stop by Gerda's apartment and pay her a visit.

I began to argue with God. "Lord, I really don't have time for this. I only have an hour and a half before the broadcast starts! I have not picked out the music, much less know what I am going to say. Your timing seems to be a little off here."

No peace . . .

The strong feeling inside screamed louder than my reasoning, so I gave in. I said, "Lord, You will really need to be in total control of the show, because this will not leave me time to prepare."

I turned the car around and headed for Gerda's place.

Gerda was a delightful elderly lady whom I had visited a couple of times. She loved God, and it was a pleasure to spend time with her. It had been quite a while since my last visit. On my way I wondered why God wanted me to see her today of all days, when I already had so much to do. I had my guitar, so I thought I would take it in and maybe sing a song for her.

I rang the doorbell and Gerda opened the door. She started crying and said, time and again, "I knew you would come. I knew you would come." I put down the guitar, reached out and gave her a big hug. She kept crying for a little while, and finally she let go of me. We sat down on her couch, and I anxiously waited to hear what had brought me here today.

She said, "I woke up this morning feeling so lonely I could barely stand it. I said, 'God, please have Ruth come and visit me today.' For a while, I was wondering if He would answer my prayer, but I had this strong feeling that He would, and HE DID!"

We read the Bible, prayed, and sang a few songs together. She got another big hug, and I left… pretty much walking on air. My steps were light, my heart was overflowing with joy, and my lips would not stop praising God. What a feeling! What can be more thrilling than the knowledge that the Lord of the Universe could give someone like me such a special assignment! He had heard a simple sincere prayer, and I had been the instrument for delivering the answer. I had actually listened to Him! I am glad He won the argument.

Then I remembered the Scripture I had read that morning: "He awakens me morning by morning, He awakens my ear to listen as a disciple" (Isaiah 50:4, NAS).

I had asked God to help me be sensitive to His voice so I could listen as a disciple, as someone who is willing to learn and grow. He had answered my prayer, too!

So, how about the live broadcast? Well, needless to say, it was one of the smoothest ever. The songs were picked out quickly. The words just came to me, and I knew it was not me, nor my skills -- it was God working through me. What an awesome day!

More Devotions on the Spiritual Life Channel