We love to express ourselves and love to tell our side of the story! Is that not true? If it is not, then why is it so hard to keep from “jumping in” before others are done speaking or finished telling their stories? Probably, because we have all struggled with simply listening!
I came across a very unique story. It says, "Two men were walking along a crowded city sidewalk. Suddenly, one of the men remarked, "Listen to the lovely sound of that cricket," But the other man could not hear the sound of the cricket at all.
He asked his friend: "How can you hear the sound of a cricket amid the roar of the traffic and the sound of the people." The first man, who was a zoologist, had trained himself to hear the sounds of nature.
He didn’t explain to his friend in words how he could hear the sound of the cricket, so instead, he reached into his pocket, pulled out a half-dollar coin and dropped it onto the sidewalk. They both watched intently as a dozen people began to look for the coin as they heard it clanking amid the sounds of the traffic and the sounds of the city. He turned to his friend and said, "We hear ....what we listen for."
We hear what we listen for. What is it that catches our attention? What sounds, noises and movements capture our interests or perks up our ears and gains our full concentration?
I think this is what makes part of our Scripture passage so powerful. Yes, we can focus on the process of studying God’s word and saying our prayers, but we can also be as aware of our need for listening to God?
Our Listening involves more than just stopping to focus on the “audible.” Listening is a skill of mastering concentration. Just like as a Soldier learns to do with their Drill Sergeants in basic! They recognize their voice and know who to listen for!
Verse 27, speaks for itself when Jesus proclaimed, “My sheep hear my voice. I know them and they follow me.” I want to believe that what Jesus means is that those who are truly children of God, don’t just “hear” his voice, but can also recognize that it is truly God the Father speaking.
What a wonderful blessing to have such a personal, loving, and intimate relationship with God that you can know that what you’re “hearing” is God is speaking to you.
The wonderful thing is knowing we have an open invitation to talk to God on an intimate level and realizing the many ways God chooses to speak to us.
We can’t “put God in a Box” and think he only speaks audibly or through miraculous signs such as the “burning Bush” with Moses. God speaks in all sorts of ways.
The more we listen the more we’ll become aware. The more we become aware the more we’ll see new dimensions to God’s loving communication to us.
Sometimes He speaks by an inner voice that is so “internally loud” it seems “outwardly audible.” Sometimes we can hear Him speaking through the voice of a stranger, a friend, the words of a song, a thought from a book, or a verse of Scripture.
If we will be open to any form of interaction, I believe we will quickly find that God has no special formula or one particular method for communicating with His people. We can’t “limit” God in how we want Him to speak to us.
God uses many ways! Some of those ways to hear him speak to us come in the form of Personal guidance. Personal Guidance, through Scripture and through the guidance from other believers
Through Personal Guidance of Scripture, God speaks to us through His Word. God can empower your personal devotional time while studying the Bible. We need to do more than just “read” the bible, but let it sink deeply within by “Chewing on it” throughout the day.
Meditate on what you discover in your mind and in your heart. Right the Scripture passage down and work on memorizing it.
Psalm 119:11, 15, 16, “I have hidden your word in my heart that I might not sin against you…I meditate on your precepts and consider your ways…I delight in your decrees; I will not neglect your word.”Listen to god and hear his voice.
Hearing God through his word will guide us in every area of our life. 2 Timothy 3:16, “All Scripture is inspired by God and is useful to teach us what is true and to make us realize what is wrong in our lives. It corrects us when we are wrong and teaches us to do what is right.”God speaks to us through the personal guidance of His Word.
Another way God speaks to us is through godly people. Counsel from those you know to have a pure and trustworthy walk with God is invaluable no matter what situation it is you are facing in life.
Nobody, of any stature, can be truly successful by ignoring sound counsel. Proverbs 12:15, “The way of a fool seems right to him, but a wise man listens to advice.” Proverbs 15:22, “Plans fail for lack of counsel, but with many advisers they succeed.”
Advice from mature Christians should confirm a message God has already given you, not contradict everything and send you off in a different or new direction. It is amazing how thrilling it is to have two or three Godly people tell you the same thing. Another way God speaks to us is through godly people.
Remember: We hear what we listen for! Remember that God's communication will leave you with a sense of spiritual uplift, as it stills you, leads you, reassures you, enlightens you, encourages you, comforts you and convicts you to His truth. So, listen…Listen for his voice! When you do, you will not only “hear it,” but recognize it!
