Listening To God

The Spirit of God does speak to us. But we have to be willing to listen. God wants to encourage us, he wants to lead us, and he wants to empower our lives. So how do we listen?

First, we study the bible. Some people are confused by the word study. I am not talking about simply reading The Daily Bread or some other daily devotional. If we go to church, Sunday school, and a Bible study during the week, that is all great, but that is not what I mean when I say, "Study the Bible." We need time alone with God and his word. This leads into the next step: meditation.

Psalm 1:2 says of the man who is blessed by God, "His delight is in the law of the LORD, and on his law he meditates day and night." Meditating on God's Word does not involve "emptying the mind" as some of the Eastern religions define it. Meditation means filling our minds with the Word of God, then pondering it, reflecting on it, and considering how it might pertain to us. After we have read a passage thoroughly and studied it carefully, then it is time to chew on it for a while.

Most of us don't have time for meditation. We just have time to grab the Bible, flip it open to a random passage, read a few verses, and call it quits. We may think briefly about how what we have just read might apply to our lives or how we can use it to teach our Sunday school classes, but we don't allow it to penetrate our minds, wills, and emotions. If we read the Bible without allowing it to have and impact on us, if it does not change us from the inside out, then we have missed the whole point.

The purpose of reading the Bible is not so much to gain knowledge as it is to transform our lives. Meditation causes us to think: "God, that's me. I need to change. I need you to work on something inside of me."

The third step involves moving from meditation to contemplation. Contemplation goes further and deeper than meditation. Webster's dictionary defines the word contemplate as "to view or consider with the continued attention," and the word contemplation as "a state of mystical awareness of God's being." We move from reflecting on the passage we have just read to contemplating the nature and being of God. We are not rushed, we don't say much; we just dwell on the majesty, greatness, and awesomeness of God.

Joyce Huggett, in her book The Joy of Listening to God, said of the process: "We bask in the warmth of his love. We feel his gaze on us. He fills us afresh with his spirit. We receive a new perspective on life-his perspective. We draw so close to his heart that we sense his concern for the world and from our contemplation flows intercession as we catch his compassion for the hurting world." I encourage you to study the Bible not only to gain knowledge but also to develop an ear that listens for God to speak. Do you have times when you think the Lord may be speaking to you to do something, but you aren't sure?

I encourage you to do it anyway. See what happens. You may be very surprised. Be open to God's prompting.

Have you ever done a random act of kindness for someone who later told you, "That was just what I needed. How did you know?" (I love it when this happens.) You may not have even realized it, but you heard God's voice, and he used you to meet the needs of someone else.

Contemplation can take a bit of time. If you are retired, you probably have a lot of time. If you are semi-retired, you probably have much time. If you have a full-time job and a family to care for, you have some time. If you are a single mother of three children under the age of five, you have no time and no life. But no matter what your circumstance is, no matter what stage of life you are in right now, decide when you are going to make time for study, meditation, and contemplation.

The wonderful part is that you can meditate and contemplate while changing diapers, mowing the lawn, or sitting in traffic. Meditation is a matter of the heart. Sometimes it is good to find a quiet relaxing place, but that is not always possible. Just be quick to listen when you study, meditate and contemplate.

Be blessed,

Dan

Copyright 2008 Eternity Minded Ministries