For who knows a person’s thoughts except his spirit within him? In the same way, no one knows the thoughts of God except the Spirit of God. 1 Corinthians 2:11
The next time you’re in your car, look at the radio on the dash. Consider all the choices you have on the AM and FM bands. If you have satellite radio, you’re looking at even more choices. Now, just for the fun of it, turn the radio on and tune it from left to right, one click at a time. Even if you live in a remote, rural area, you have dozens of options. If you live in a major city, you may have even more to choose from. OK, now turn your radio off again.
I have an important question for you. Even though your radio is in the off position, are all those stations still sending out their words and music on the airwaves? Yes. And does the fact that you have your radio off have any effect whatsoever on the signal? Absolutely not. It’s out there, but it’s not being received.
The words we read today are profound. Their message is as real as a station faithfully sending out a signal filled with informative voices and pleasant music but falling on “deaf” radios. The apostle Paul wrote, “For who knows a person’s thoughts except his spirit within him?” (v. 11). Because we are men, our radios are tuned in to the “man” station. But if we want to hear God’s words, we’re going to have to make a conscious decision, a deliberate adjustment, to our souls’ receivers.
Paul confidently informed his readers, “We also speak these things, not in words taught by human wisdom, but in those taught by the Spirit, explaining spiritual things to spiritual people” (v. 13). If we want to hear God’s Spirit, if we want Him to lead us, to inform us, and to encourage us, we’d better tune our radio to His frequency.
This is profound and powerful. If we miss this, our life of faith will only be religion. There will be no passion, no fulfillment, no joy, no purpose, no direction, no hope— basically, no anything.
Not surprisingly, this truth doesn’t only relate to our relationship with our heavenly Father; it’s a perfect illustration of our ability to effectively communicate with our friends and our children (if we have any).
Picture your family sitting around the dinner table. What do you see? Engaging conversation? Spontaneous laughter? Do you sense love and empathy, or does your family look like a bunch of radios in the off position? Or worse, are you sitting together but in your own worlds, staring into your little electronic screens?
Is your radio on? If it is, what’s it tuned to? Are you listening to elevator music when you ought to be listening carefully to God’s omnipotent voice? Are you listening to a newscast when you ought to be tuned in to your children?
Take another look at your radio. Instead of seeing the numbers on the AM and FM or satellite bands, see the Holy Spirit. See your wife. See your children. See your friends. See your colleagues at work. See those in your world who are in need.
Go ahead. Turn it on. Tune it in. Enjoy each of these wonderful stations. They’re waiting for you to download their signals.