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Be Still And Listen
When we have our prayer times, and we pour our hearts out to the Lord... Even if we spend an hour or more talking to Him, how much of this time do we dedicate to listening to what He has to say in return? Some might say, That's silly. Surely you don't expect Him to talk back? Well, yeah, why wouldn't He? We just need to know how to listen. I came across a suggestion recently, and it seemed so simple, yet I believe it's so often overlooked. When we pray about things, when we have questions or seek direction, after we pray, just sit quietly with your mind still on Him. Consider and see what comes to you. Some might expect an obvious, no doubt about it answer, but I believe that often when He answers us, it's with a gentle voice. It may present itself by leading our minds in a certain direction, or causing a thought to occur to us. Now, if we're not taking the time to pay attention, especially if we're not terribly experienced at listening, knowing how to recognize Him when He speaks to us, then we just might overlook it. Think about it this way. How many times have you prayed over a certain question that was really gnawing at you? You prayed and you prayed for a period of months or maybe even more. You kept wondering to yourself, Is God ever going to answer me? and then finally when His reply dawns on you, you look back and realize there were several points along the way that was Him, and He kept trying to lead you to the same conclusion. I've done this before, and I'm sure I'm not the only one. I think sometimes we find ourselves too busy and distracted with everyday life. There's always something going on, something demanding our attention. Work schedules, school schedules, homework assignments, family drama - you name it. There are so many distractions out there that can draw our attention away from God, but He keeps bringing us back to it. These distractions often crowd our thoughts, and drown out the guidance given by the Holy Spirit. Sometimes, maybe we're afraid of what the answer He has for us might be. We pray hoping to hear what we want, and we ignore the answers that we don't want, making excuses to ourselves. For instance, say there's someone in your life, and for some reason or another they don't need to be there. Maybe it's a friend that's getting you into trouble, maybe it's a boyfriend or a girlfriend leading you into sin. Maybe it's the town gossip that you stop and talk with every so often that's leading you to be saying things about people that you shouldn't be saying, and you really just enjoy this time, chatting and pointing stuff out. Whatever the case may be. Say there's someone in your life that you enjoy having in your life, but for whatever reason the Lord says 'No, this person doesn't need to be there'. Part of you then realizes that you need to let this person go, the other part of you doesn't want to accept this. So you pray, hoping that your concerns will be relieved, trying to ignore it when you're continually brought back to the answer that you fear... Ignoring what God wants for you and fooling yourself into not understanding what He has to say doesn't change anything. When God gives us an answer, even if it's one we don't like, we need to learn how to accept that, and move on it if it requires our movement, or how to stay still if it requires that instead. God speaks to us, whether we realize it, I believe. If we can learn how to just listen to Him, and accept what He has to say to us, we would be making great strides in our spiritual lives and the path that He has set for us. So next time you're in prayer, before you move on to the next thing, whether it's going to sleep or starting the day, whatever the case may be, take the time to just be still and listen. See what it is that He may have to share with you. Lead me in thy truth, and teach me: for thou art the God of my salvation; on thee do I wait all the day. ~ Psalm 25:5 (KJV) |