Learning To Listen

The title of our devotion today is learning to listen. We live in a modern world of noise and busyness. All around us are sounds of every kind, all varieties. There is the engine noise of cars we ride in, the airplanes on which we ride. And then there is the noise of people’s sound systems turned up to full volume in their vehicles with windows rolled down so everyone can be impressed with the sound of their system. There is the barking of the dogs in the neighborhood, the screams of all the children playing in the neighborhoods, the yells of the mothers to come to go to ball practice or dance lessons. And, of course, there is the TV in our own homes, and the mp3 players and the CD’s and on and on. There is little if any freedom from noise of some kind.

Then is it any wonder that we have difficulty sitting down and being quiet before the Lord and listening to His still, small voice. There are times in our lives where we need to sit down, shut everything off, shut the door to the room we are in and say, Lord, here I am. I want to hear what you have to say to me. Then listen. In Psalm 46:10 we are told to be still and know that I am God. I will be exalted among the nations. I will be exalted in the earth. Did you notice what this scripture said? When we are still, we will know God. What does know mean? It means to know someone, the way they think, the way they act. It means to be intimate with someone. Do you want to know God? Then be still before Him and let Him speak. Listen!

As we are still before the Lord, our thoughts are to be focused on Him and His goodness and His desire toward us. Our thoughts are to turn to Him being The Blessing in our life. We are to focus on Him, to turn our eyes toward Him, to tune our ears to His voice. We hear His voice and the voice of a stranger we do not follow.

Have you noticed that when you attempt to get still and quiet before the Lord that a zillion things go through your mind that you need to do or that is a reason you don’t have time to do this? These thoughts are a result of the world we are living in today. Everything has been put into fast forward. Go, go, go, go. Instead of go, go, go, it should be God, God, God!

Isaiah 30:15 tells us that in returning and rest shall we be saved (delivered from whatever has come against us); in quietness and confidence shall be our strength. We can make the deduction from this scripture that the strength of the Lord comes to us in those quiet moments of rest before Him. We are strong in the Lord and in the power of His might. He is our strength. He is our stronghold. He is the One Who puts us over in any situation. We need His strength because our strength runs out in a difficult situation. We only have so much strength in our own will. Our will can carry us a certain distance but not all the way to victory in a situation. That is what many people in the world use and mistake it for God directing them. Our own souls (mind, will, emotions) are strong and will carry us for a certain distance, but then when the situation doesn’t seem to move out of the way, the soul grows weary. Without God, we will grow weary; without turning it over to Him we will be tired and worn out. To put it plainly, we will give up because we cannot go any further. Only He can carry us all the way to victory, every time, in every circumstance, regardless of how impossible or difficult the circumstance or situation may seem.

There are many scriptures about hear in the Bible. But have you noticed that you cannot hear someone if you are focused on hearing something else? And you cannot hear when there is a lot of noise. So, today, purpose in your heart that some time you will sit and be quiet, even if it is just for 5 minutes. If 5 minutes is all you have, that is better than 0 minutes. Start there and before you know it, it will be an hour. And it will be a sweet hour of fellowship and reassurance of your Heavenly Father’s loving care for you. It will restore your confidence in Him and His working on your behalf. And you will realize that you can walk through your situation with confidence because your Father is with you all the way. You can be assured that whatever is in your path will be removed so that you can go forward unhindered.

Your dear Heavenly Father loves you. Jesus loves you. The Holy Spirit is here to help you. What more do you need? Be encouraged in the Lord today. He is your Helper and Comforter and Standby. He will carry you to the other side. Focus on Him.