by Tim Howard
My
wife and I were out to breakfast not too long ago and the waitress who came to
our table was bubbly, vibrant and very friendly. After a few moments of
exchanging pleasantries, she asked us if we wanted some coffee and what we
would like to order. Since I was hungry, I began to rattle of a list of several
things. Midway through my request she interrupted me and said: “ I’m sorry,
could you start again, I wasn’t practicing active listening.”
I
can’t begin to tell you how hard the three of us laughed. I had never heard anyone
say that out loud! A person may not be listening but he or she doesn’t outright
say it to you!
At times we all have moments when we drift off.
We may hear what someone says but aren’t necessarily paying attention. We don’t
practice active listening – we consciously or unconsciously choose to turn our proverbial
hearing aid off.
Francis
A Schaeffer wrote a book titled “He Is There And He Is Not Silent”
God
isn’t silent and He really wants to talk with you! His preference is to talk
‘with’ you and not ‘at’ you because He’s genuinely interested in your feelings,
your thoughts, your concerns and your words.
When
you speak – He listens! When He speaks, He wants you to listen!
Jesus said: Matt. 4:4 … “It is written, “Man shall
not live by bread alone but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.’”
Having ears that actually hear and listen to God’s
voice is crucial – if we want to experience true life.
God has given you His written ‘Word’ as an aid to
help you learn how to hear His voice. When you read it and study it – your ears
become attuned to His voice like antenna that locks into the right frequency.
He has also invited you to join with a church
family of your choice each week to help assist you in hearing. When you set
aside some time to meet with others – you practice active listening.
My
mother use to say: “ I’m not talking to hear myself talk!” And neither is God.
He want’s you Practice active listening.
He
has some great things to share with you. He wants to tell you how to face the
challenges confronting your life. He wants to tell you how to dispel the
confusion you are currently experiencing. He wants to tell you where to find
life and purpose and He’s wanting to tell you why things keep falling apart and
how you can make things last. He is speaking good news!
On one occasion a young boy named Samuel was learning to hear God speak to him and a wise priest told him this: The next time you sense the Lords presence say “Speak, your servant is listening.” Too often we are guilty of wanting Him to hears us and we say: “Listen my Lord, I am speaking.” It’s important to remember that it’s impossible to listen when you are talking!
When you speak to God – He listens!
On one occasion a young boy named Samuel was learning to hear God speak to him and a wise priest told him this: The next time you sense the Lords presence say “Speak, your servant is listening.” Too often we are guilty of wanting Him to hears us and we say: “Listen my Lord, I am speaking.” It’s important to remember that it’s impossible to listen when you are talking!
When you speak to God – He listens!
When
He speaks to you – do you listen?
Are
you positioned to hear His voice?
No comments:
Post a Comment