Listen
If I go to the doctor and say, ‘Doctor, I have a lot of problems: I twisted my knee... my eyes itch... my finger is swollen... I have backache...’
Then, having got through my list of complaints, I look at my watch and say, ‘Goodness me, time is getting on. I must be off.’ The doctor might say, ‘Hang on, do you not want to hear what I have to say?’
If we only speak to God and never take time to listen, we make the same mistake. We do all the talking and we don’t actually listen to him. But our relationship with God is meant to be a two-way conversation. When I’m praying, I find it helpful to write down thoughts that come into my mind that may come from the Spirit of God.
In a media-saturated age we have many voices that come to us on TV, radio, the Internet, Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, email and text message. We have the voices of family, friends and colleagues. And sometimes we have the voice of Satan tempting us to disbelieve God’s word and to doubt that God has our best interests at heart.
How do you hear the voice of God in the midst of the noise and distractions of life?
Listen to God’s voice in the Scriptures - Proverbs 3:1-10
The ways in which God speaks to us is through what he has already spoken in the Scriptures – his ‘teaching’ and ‘commands’ (v.1). As you read the Bible, pray that God will speak to you and that you will hear his voice.
‘Don’t try to figure out everything on your own. Listen for God’s voice in everything you do, everywhere you go; he’s the one who will keep you on track’ (v.5–6, MSG).
Learning verses in the Bible is one of the ways you can write God’s word on the ‘tablet of your heart’ (v.3).
Be guided by ‘Love and Loyalty’ : These should be our guiding principles in every decision we take. ‘Love and Loyalty’ (v.3, MSG) should be deeply embedded in our hearts. Loyalty means, for example, speaking about others as if they were present. We establish trust in those who are present by our loyalty to those who are not present. If you live like this, God promises you a good reputation ‘in God’s eyes and the eyes of the people’ (v.4, MSG).
Run to God! Run from evil!: We are to trust in God rather than becoming arrogant and thinking that we are clever. Fear of God, in the sense of healthy respect for him, should lead us to ‘Run to God! Run from evil!’ (v.7, MSG). God promises that ‘this will bring health to your body and nourishment to your bones’ (v.8). In other words, there is a connection between the spiritual and the physical.
Become a generous giver : It really matters what you do with your money. Give God ‘the first and the best’ (v.9, MSG) (that is, the first part of your income not the last). I have found this to be an extraordinary principle; that if you get your giving right, you discover the truth of the promise that God will supply all your needs: ‘your barns will be filled to overflowing, and your vats will brim over with new wine’ (v.10).
Lord, help me not just to read your words, but to learn them, live by them and to bring honour to your name.
