Listen

Peyton Johnston

July 15th, 2018

1 Kings 19:11-13; Proverbs 1:33

When we seek an answer from God, we often anticipate for Him to present it to us in an unmistakable, earth-shattering type of way. Or rather, we hope He does. And while it’s true that God does perform the miraculous, more often than not it’s in the soft whisper that He speaks to His people. Because it is in our nature to be drawn toward the obvious and immediate, it’s easy for us to trust the first flashy resolution that comes our way – causing us to miss the humble heavenly response that we should’ve waited for. We tend to seek a loud reply through grand gestures simply because we haven’t learned how to listen to the Lord’s still, small voice. With the countless voices of this world constantly shouting their misguided opinions, recognizing the voice of God can prove quite tricky with an untrained ear.

The ability to discern between what is and is not God’s voice leading us comes from learning the art of listening, not just hearing. You see, hearing is just the perception of sound being relayed to you. It’s easy to hear. It doesn’t require effort. It comes naturally and instinctively. Listening, on the other hand, is much more involved than that. Listening is the act of giving your attention and concentration – of having the intention to receive information in order to respond back.

Are you approaching each day with the intent to sincerely ​listen t​ o what God is trying to say to you? Or are you aimlessly hearing every trivial word & allowing them to sway you? If you’re only hearing, you’ll find yourself unable to distinguish between the wrong voices trying to influence you and the right One trying to help you. And if you’re not careful, you’ll mistake the first awe-inspiring response as your answer from God, when it may only be irrelevant noise. Instead of searching for an obvious solution to your issue in the windstorm or the fire, be like Elijah: Be still, be patient, be open, and listen. Wait for the voice of the Lord – for the sound of His gentle whisper.

Pray: ​“God, I pray that I would lay aside my expectations and preconceived notions of how You’re going to provide my answers so that I can fully embrace whatever You have for me. Whether it comes crashing in like thunder, or sweeps in like the breeze, let me be able to listen with ears that only receive Your voice.”