Pay Attention - The Wesleyan Church

The Lord spoke to Manasseh and his people, but they paid no attention. (2 Chron. 33:10)

Expanded Passage: 2 Chronicles 33:10

Traffic lights at busy intersections are there for a purpose. Both pedestrians and drivers need to pay attention, not only to the traffic light but also to each other. Walking down the main street of our town, I cannot recount the number of times I heard a loud bang, only to see the wreckage of mutilated metal in the middle of an intersection with people standing on the curb in utter tears. Tears of thankfulness for no immediate injuries or tears of the devastation by the loss of a vehicle or thoughts of what could have been. Either way, tears and destruction are a product of not paying attention.

Manasseh heard the voice of the Lord, but he paid no attention to it. God also spoke to the people, but they, like their leader, paid no attention to his voice. Because Manasseh did not listen, devastation came upon him, and he was taken as a prisoner by the army commanders of Assyria. The people also suffered many consequences.

I often wonder how much wreckage and damage in our lives could have been avoided if we had only paid attention to the voice of the Lord. Like Manasseh and the Israelites, the Lord knows and calls each of us by name, and I hope we can have ears to listen and hearts quick to respond.

Pay attention to the voice of the Lord.

Carol Jimerson is a wife, mother and grandmother who loves writing, the outdoors, and mentoring. She is an ordained minister in the Wesleyan Church, Penn York District.