Make Room to Listen
Understand this, my dear brothers and sisters: You must all be quick to listen, slow to speak, and slow to get angry.
James 1:19 (NLT)
The numbers vary from survey to survey, but the low-end numbers say we speak 7,000 words, and the high-end say we speak 20,000 words daily. Regardless, we use a lot of words each day. We then listen to music filled with words, we watch TV shows and movies filled with words, and we listen to podcasts filled with words. It seems like everywhere we go, there’s noise. We’re constantly speaking throughout the day, and sometimes, it’s hard to slow down and listen to God.
In the psalms, we’re told be still and know that I’m God. James says above that we should be quick to listen and slow to speak. I confess I’m often interrupting people and speaking before they even finish. For most, we’re quick to speak and slow to listen. Why is listening so important? God isn’t always in the loud noises, the busy schedules, the Mach 3 pace. I rarely find Him in those. He’s often found in a quiet place. The quiet place is where our spirit comes alive, and the voice of God is amplified. The quiet place is important because we need to hear from God far more than He needs to hear from us!
Think about it: when things get busy for us, what’s the first thing that usually goes? It’s our quiet time with God. Yet, when Jesus was the busiest, He often broke away to be alone with God. Now, if Jesus, the Son of God, needed to break away and listen, how much more should His followers spend time alone with God? The truth is the more time you carve out to listen to God, the more you’ll begin to discern and understand the voice of God.
In the same way you grow in anything over time, you will, over time, grow to be more in tune with the Spirit of God. Remember the old radios that had dials? Often, you would have to keep turning the dial to get the static out of the station. I think this is often a picture of prayer. There’s often static and noise that’s competing with the voice of God. However, if you keep dialing in, after a while, the voice of God will continue to get louder and clearer. The God of the universe wants to speak. Keep pressing in!
Application: The quiet place helps us hear God’s voice louder.
Prayer: Spend time with God and ask Him how you can carve out time to meet with Him,
Ask Him to help you set a time, place and plan to help you draw closer to Him. Ask the Spirit for His voice to increase and the voice of the world to grow quieter!
“… Our Father in heaven…” Matthew 6:9b (NLT)
- What do You want to say to me today as my Father?
“… may Your name be kept holy.” Matthew 6:9c (NLT)
- What do You want to reveal to me about Your power today?
“May Your Kingdom come soon.” Matthew 6:10a (NLT)
- Help me make Your priorities my priorities today.
“Give us today the food we need,” Matthew 6:11 (NLT)
- Is there anything specific You want me to do with my time or the people I’m around today?
“and forgive us our sins, as we have forgiven those who sin against us” Matthew 6:12 (NLT)
- Reveal to me anyone I need to forgive or ask for forgiveness.
“And don’t let us yield to temptation…” Matthew 6:13a (NLT)
- Is there anywhere I’m vulnerable to temptation?