I am listening ...

(photo credit: voiceoverdarren.com)

"O True God of my every praise, do not keep silent!" (Psalm 109:1, The Voice Bible)

I recently read two books that have caused me to be more intentional about listening for the voice of God: "Hearing God" (Dallas Willard) & "Enjoying the Presence of God" (Jan Johnson).

Our world is full of noise. It is also full of voices. Who's got your ear? When you pray, who does the talking? When you read Scripture, do you ask God to speak? Is your ear dialed in to the voice of God in the midst of the cacophony of our culture?

I want to make this verse my prayer as I go through the day. I want to hear God in the middle of my activity, not just while I am on the back porch with my Bible in my lap.

Question: How can we dial in our ears to better hear the voice of God?

Leave a comment below.  I'd love to hear your perspective.

God's Positioning System

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"Your ears will hear sweet words behind you: 'Go this way. There is your path; this is how you should go' whenever you must decide whether to turn to the right or the left." (Isaiah 30:21, The Voice)

My phone has a built in GPS that knows where I am and can give me directions to where I want to go. "In 800 feet, turn left on ___________, " she says. I often think I know better so I go my own way.

We like our own way, don't we? Inspired by either the Elvis or Sinatra versions (or, in my age bracket, Fleetwood Mac), we proudly set out to prove that "we've got this".

Until we end up lost or at a dead end. Then we get mad at the GPS.

And when we go our own way and end up at a place in life we don't want to be, we ask God why He didn't guide us. I know this is obvious, but the problem is not God. We didn't listen.

If we think of "GPS" as "God's Positioning System" then how do we get to the point where we are hearing those directions clearly? Here's a profoundly simple truth: We can't get from here to there if we don't know where here is. Positioning begins with positioning ourselves to hear God.

I think many of us begin the day praying for God's guidance and direction as we navigate through the activities and challenges of our day. How might it look if we began by simply positioning ourselves to hear God?

Question: What are some ways you can think of that would help us to position ourselves so that we know where here is?

Please share your comments below.  Our online community would benefit from your insight.

Take a long hard look

(photo credit: crossfireminute.crossfirechurch.us)

"Yes, the Day is coming when people will notice The One Who Made Them, take a long hard look at The Holy of Israel. They'll lose interest in all the stuff they've made-- altars and monuments and rituals, their homemade, handmade religion-- however impressive it is." (Isaiah 17:7-8, The Message)

I read this story this morning: "I don't say anything," said an old Irish peasant about his quiet, solitary visits to the church. "I just look at God, and God looks at me." (From The Spiritual Formation Bible)

Have we become so "task" oriented in our lives that we cannot simply be still and encounter the presence of God? Are we so busy seeking blessings or answers that we cannot seek Him?

“One of the reasons for our sense of futility in prayer is that we have lost our power to visualize. We can no longer even imagine putting ourselves deliberately before God.” (Oswald Chambers, My Utmost for His Highest)

In a couple of hours, I will be leaving for a 24 hour "Hearing God" retreat with some of my ministry partners. I'm going to "unplug" entirely during this time, so I won't be posting tomorrow. I am requesting your prayers as I put myself deliberately before God and take a long hard look at Him.

Question: what do you need to do to take a long hard look at God?

Leave a comment below.  I'd love to hear your thoughts.