I got some great advice when I got married. I was told to listen to my wife. What they failed to mention was that I would have to do it every single day. At least 37 times a week she says, “You weren’t even listening, were you?” And my answer is always the same. “What a weird way to start a conversation!”
Why is it so hard to listen? Even worse, why don’t we listen to God? Sometimes, His way of speaking to us is direct — which makes it hard to ignore ― but oftentimes it is very subtle. That requires us to concentrate, and really listen. We sometimes even “hear” what He has to say and still tell Him, “Don’t worry God, I got this.”
We forget so quickly all of the good advice He has given us, and choose to rely on our own flawed understanding. I believe it is because we know ourselves, therefore, we tend to trust ourselves way too much. We might push God’s advice to the back of our trust comfort space because we really don’t know/trust God.
If we really knew God like He wants, we would know of the many Bible verses dealing with wisdom, we’d follow His direction, and see all the evidence of what listening to Him gets us. The benefits vastly outweigh the consequences.
Heavenly Father, help us to know you better, so we can listen to you, and to trust you. Help us to discern what it is you have for us to do for your Kingdom. In Jesus name, Amen.
Go Deeper ―Take some time to answer these questions: What can you do to get to know God better? How can you better focus to hear that small subtle voice of God talking to you?
Photo Credit: Johannes Plenio