Eavesdropping

Malachi 3:16 “Then those who feared the Lord spoke often to one another: and the Lord hearkened, and heard it, and a book of remembrance was written before Him for them that feared the Lord, and that thought upon His name.”

Did you ever consider that the Lord eavesdrops on our conversations?  Years ago, in lots of Christian homes, you would often see a frame on the wall with a message inside saying, ‘The Lord is an unseen guest, the silent listener at every conversation’ To a young boy that was a bit scary.  But notice in the Malachi reference, God records the conversations of those who reverence Him (fear Him), and those who think upon His name.  So, wherever the people of God are, and whenever they are together, and whenever they speak of the Lord, God eavesdrops, and records their words in a book. That’s not a scary thought, it’s a comforting one. 

When we get together with another brother or sister in Christ, and the conversation turns to God and eternal things, I can imagine God saying, “Aha, they are talking about Me, I better listen in to hear what they’re saying. Recording angel, get the Book of Remembrance out and start writing, I want to note this down.”  All right, perhaps not exactly like that, but somehow God notices when we speak about Him with others.

Remember the two disciples on the road to Emmaus, how they were sad at the death of Jesus their Messiah? They hadn’t known at that point that Jesus had risen from the dead. As they walked the seven miles from Jerusalem to Emmaus they were talking about the crucifixion of Christ, and His disappearance from the tomb three days later. So, Jesus walks up the Emmaus road and draws alongside them, (for a while their eyes were restrained so they did not recognise Him) He was eavesdropping, and He says, “What kind of conversation is this that you have with one another as you walk and are sad?”  The two disciples were amazed that even this stranger did not know the events of the past few days, and what happened to Jesus of Nazareth at Calvary. Then Jesus said, “O foolish ones, and slow of heart to believe in all that the prophets have spoken! Ought not Christ to have suffered these things and to enter into His glory? And beginning at Moses and all the prophets, He expounded to them in all the scriptures the things concerning Himself.” (Luke 24:13-32) 

Proverbs 27:17 “As iron sharpens iron, so a man sharpens the countenance of his friend.”

No better way to sharpen one another as friends, than to speak to one another of the things of God. That is guaranteed to get the attention of Heaven.

- Pastor David Goudy