(Please read the Scripture passage before reading the homily.)
This reminds me of a story Jesus told of the children in the marketplace who did not want to play happy games or sad ones (Matthew 11:16-19): I guess they were totally bored beyond all recall.
The Lord wants to lead us in the way we should go. In other words, the Lord wants us to play his games and not twiddle our thumbs in boredom.
If only we would harken; if only we would listen; if only, but there is always something else. What are the consequences of listening and playing the Lord’s script? Prosperity like a river, vindication like the waves of the sea, everlasting remembrance if we follow the Lord’s lead.
Listening is hard. I remember hearing but not listening to my father. My dad would ask me to retrieve a tool from the basement. I would hear “tool from basement”, but I did not listen to the entire request with its instructions. I had to learn to listen to my dad. The same is true for our relationship with God. We have to listen and hear what God wants us to hear.
If we only hear what we think God wants us to hear, we can become very much like children who want to play their own games and not follow the lead of anyone else. The game plan of the Lord leads to victory, not boredom.
Some of the saddest words, “If only you would have”.