Learn to Listen to God

"Be still before the Lord and wait patiently for him;" - Psalm 37:7 (NIV)

Talk, talk, talk. There's certainly no shortage of talk in the world. Most of us have been blessed with the ability to express ourselves through the use of our voice. Sometimes we even reach the point where we seek refuge from talk. There's no denying that we love to talk!

But in order to have fair and balanced communication between each other we must be able to stop talking and listen, too. And therein lies the problem for many of us. We love to talk, but don't really listen. When there is too much talking, and not enough listening, it makes for rather boring conversation.

We've seen this played out many times in our lives. Most of these so-called "conversations" are strong-armed by individuals who love to hear themselves speak, but don't particularly care to listen to what others have to say.

This can easily apply to our Christian lives. Yes, we may talk to God, but do we really listen or allow him to respond. He could be talking to you right now, but you're not listening to him. One might say, "God never talks to me" or "He never answers me," but this isn't true.

There are many reasons that could contribute to our thinking this way. The way we communicate with God is not that different from the way we would talk to a good friend. One talks, while the other listens. But sometimes this doesn't happen. We become frustrated and our feelings get hurt.

Consider the situation at the time that led up to these feelings. Maybe you were too angry to listen or wait around for a reply. Or, perhaps you were not very clear in what you were saying to God. The same courtesies and rules of conversation that apply to you and I also need to be applied in our talks with God.

But what if we deliberately choose not to listen to God? Then I'm afraid that we have nothing to complain about. Each of us, as adults, are not under any obligation to listen to God. We are free to choose whether we want to or not. I, however, would not advise anyone to go down that path.

The Bible serves up a variety of illustrations that demonstrate negative results of not listening to God. One such example is that of Amaziah, the king of Judah in 2 Chronicles 25. After experiencing some initial successes during his reign, he was eventually seduced by idolatry despite God's warnings that were conveyed through a prophet (2 Chronicles 25:14-16).

I don't have to tell you that it did not end well for him (2 Chronicles 25:27). Another example is Lot's wife in Genesis 19. Lot, his wife, and two daughters were ordered by angels to flee from the soon to be destroyed city of Sodom.

The angels gave them a clear warning not to, under any circumstances, look back toward the city (Genesis 19:17). Lot's wife, even though hearing the warning, did exactly what she was warned not to do, she looked back. She paid with her life for not following God's instructions (Genesis 19:26).

Thus, whenever God speaks to us we need to listen, I mean to really stop and pay attention. You probably know that he doesn't always respond immediately, but he will answer. Especially as humans living in the 21st century, we expect instant results. We click on a key, or slide our finger on a screen and we are presented with a response.

God doesn't work in this impersonal, artificial way. He prefers the tried and true method he has always used to communicate with us. That is, to speak to our hearts. We just need to learn how to listen to his voice. He isn't going to shout out or send an electronic message. He doesn't need to.

You and I are built to listen to God. We have everything we need. We just need to learn how to use it properly. It isn't that difficult to hear God. You see, God speaks to each of us personally, and how he speaks to you might differ from the way he speaks to me.

Whether by prayer, through the Bible,  a situation or another person, God will find a way to get through to us. We just need to learn when to stop talking and let Him talk to us. God is a great listener, in fact, the best you'll ever find. But we need to reciprocate in kind when He speaks to us. We need to listen.

Scripture: Mark 4:24; Romans 10:17; 1 Samuel 3:10; Jeremiah 33:3; Deuteronomy 13:4 

Prayer: I love the Lord, because he has heard my voice and my pleas for mercy. Because he inclined his ear to me, therefore I will call on him as long as I live.  -Psalm 116:1-2

May your day be blessed!

Blake