Can You Hear God?
“Be still, and know that I am God.” Psalm 46:10a
Why do people like the outdoors so much? What is the real lure of hunting, fishing, and hiking? For many of us, the serenity of an outdoor experience offers precious, and mostly uninterrupted, time to think through our problems—let our minds unwind, get caught up on prayers, and simply listen to God. Scripture tells us that Christ spent many hours in quietness. His meditation time was special and allowed Him time and solitude to commune with His Heavenly Father.
To hear God, we must be quiet and let Him do the talking. Prayer is not simply reading off a list of requests. Calm and quietness is essential to listening. If I’m too busy, I won’t hear. If I spend night after night watching television, and then try to listen, I find my mind jammed with carnal interference and His voice buried under an avalanche of clamor.
The necessary calm and silence can be found in our great outdoors…or on a living-room sofa late at night or at the kitchen table early in the morning. The place isn’t important; the decibel scale is.
If you’re like me, there never seems enough time for what’s really important. Or is it just a matter of priorities? A while back someone emailed me the following list about what God might ask us concerning those priorities—what we’ve done with our time. I think it’s worth considering:
NINE THINGS GOD WON’T ASK
1…God won’t ask what kind of car you drove;
He’ll ask how many people you drove who didn’t have transportation.
2…God won’t ask the square footage of your house;
He’ll ask how many people you welcomed into your home.
3…God won’t ask about the clothes you had in your closet;
He’ll ask how many you helped to clothe.
4…God won’t ask what your highest salary was;
He’ll ask if you compromised your character to obtain it.
5…God won’t ask what your job title was;
He’ll ask if you performed your job to the best of your ability.
6…God won’t ask how many friends you had;
He’ll ask how many people to whom you were a friend.
7…God won’t ask in what neighborhood you lived;
He’ll ask how you treated your neighbors.
8…God won’t ask about the color of your skin;
He’ll ask about the content of your character.
9…God won’t ask why it took you so long to seek Salvation;
He’ll lovingly take you into heaven, and not to the gates of Hell.
Being “still” can sure be difficult, but is a discipline worth pursuing.
The Power of Truth:
“Come with me by yourselves to a quiet place and get some rest.” Mark 6:31b
“Find rest, O my soul, in God alone.” Psalm 62:5a
Suggestion for Prayer:
Listen. Find a time of day or a place where you are able to just sit and listen.