God is Speaking…are We Listening? [Part 2]

Unless we’re really obtuse, it’s pretty hard to miss the invitation to listen to God when He speaks to us in overt way. After all, what took place with Bill (as I described in Part 1) was very direct. I would have been a fool to ignore God’s voice in that moment.

How, though, do we catch what God is doing when He wants to speak to us in more subtle ways?

I learned this lesson during the very first week of the 1 Peter sermon series; the messages that arose from my study retreat after Bill’s prophetic word from God.

During the retreat, I spent hours laying out this series of messages that would take place over several weeks. I figured out texts, titles, and themes. Back at the church, we publicized the series in advance (as we always do) so everyone was in the loop. Our music leaders sometimes use the messages to plan their portion of the service. One of our children’s Sunday School teachers keys her curriculum to my messages. Many of our people like to read the Bible passages during the week to prepare for Sunday. So information was distributed and everyone made their plans.

In the week leading up to the 1^st message, I had completed my textual research. I had figured out key points to address, and an outline was developed and placed in the printed program for Sunday.

And then I hit a bump in the road.

As I sat in my study on Saturday, trying to put the finishing touches on Sunday’s message, I kept getting more and more uncomfortable. I had lots of pieces that I could not fit into a coherent whole.

I wrestled with it for a couple of hours, thinking that somehow I was the problem. Thinking that if I could just get my mind in gear, I could nail it down. Thinking that this was my problem, so I needed to solve it.

No progress.

So finally I did what I should have done at the outset: I prayed.

I asked God for some wisdom and insight. I even said something like this: “Lord, are You trying to get my attention? Are You trying to tell me something about this message?”

And the impression came back strongly into my mind: “Yes! Look again at the text with fresh eyes.” As I did, I saw it in a new way. I realized that I could (and should) divide this one message into two. I saw how this would result in two much better sermons. I felt a rush of heat through my body and said out loud, “Is this what You wanted me to see, Lord?”

I did not hear an answer, but there was a sense of conviction that this was the solution I needed.

Yet immediately I thought of all kinds of reasons NOT to proceed.

If I made this change, the entire series would be bumped back a week. It would throw off the schedules of various people. The outline in Sunday’s program would be wrong and useless. I would have to write a new message from scratch! And it already was Saturday afternoon.

These objections – and more – bounced around in my head.

And yet I could not shake this thought: “Are you listening to Me, Bruce?”

How is it possible to “know” things that can’t actually be proven? I never could convince anyone that God was speaking to me in that moment, but I know – beyond a shadow of a doubt – that He was.

So I wrote a whole new sermon and changed the schedule around. On Sunday morning, I told the church what had happened and – like me – they were rather amazed.

The two new messages (Week 1 and Week 2 of the series) certainly were an improvement over what I originally had planned, but they were not earthshaking. I found myself wondering why God had wanted me to make this change. Perhaps He simply wanted me to see that I had not been listening to Him closely enough during my study retreat.

That may be true. It also may be true that I heard God perfectly during the retreat…and that He wanted me to hear Him again, in a different way. In other words, I may not have misheard God the first time. He may have wanted to intervene in a dramatic way; prompting me to change the schedule at the last minute in order to make a point.

And I think that’s what happened.

Why? Because – by moving the schedule of messages back one week – we had an amazing moment.

One historical Friday (June 26, 2015) the U.S Supreme Court decided to legalize same-sex marriage. It was, in my view, an exercise of raw judicial power completely divorced from the democratic processes that our country is supposed to follow. It was, and is, a huge blow to a nation that long has understood and embraced the natural view (and biblical view) of marriage as an act which unites one man with one woman. I believed at the time (and continue to believe) that this decision will be a significant step in the erosion of religious liberty…particularly for those of us who follow Jesus Christ.

The decision was announced on Friday. Two days later, my text was 1 Peter 4:12-19…a text perfectly suited to our times. The title I had picked – weeks earlier – was “Don’t get burned by a fiery trial”.  I 

did not preach about “same-sex marriage”; I spoke about the issues faced by the First Century Christians to whom Peter was writing.

They were experiencing cultural and government harassment. They increasingly felt like outsiders in a secular world that had a growing dislike for men and women of faith. In that environment, they needed to trust more deeply in God...and not expect too much from human government. The parallels to our own day were striking.

At the end of the message, I made a few brief comments, beginning with this statement:

As you know, I plan each sermon series, in a broad way, months in advance. I certainly have no idea what will be going on in the world at the time I actually deliver the message. For example, I did not know that our Supreme Court would rule on same-sex marriage the week that I would be preaching on this passage. But our Heavenly Father knew. I believe He arranged the timing of this, because there is much in this text to guide our response to current events.

I then made some connections between the text and our circumstances. I talked about how we, as followers of Jesus, can respond to our changing world. We can remain faithful to God, and still extend love to our very confused culture. I was able to offer some words of hope and encouragement to our family of believers who were feeling a huge sense of cultural shock that day.

As I walked off the platform, all of a sudden it hit me: this timing would not have taken place without the change in schedule I made back on the first week of the series!

If I had not listened to God…if I had been unwilling to change…our church would have missed out on a key moment when God wanted to offer us a timely word of encouragement.

Once again, I had goose bumps. Once again, I was filled with awe. And I was filled with a growing awareness that God does want to catch our attention at times. He does want to speak to His people.

The key question always is this: when God is speaking…are we listening?

- Bruce 

God is Speaking…are We Listening? [Part 1]

I’ve had a handful of spiritual experiences in my life that I describe as “wild, weird, and wonderful.” These are incredible, out of the ordinary moments, when God steps into my life in a supernatural way. I don’t go looking for such events, but I want to be open to them when they happen. I wrote about one of these in an earlier post (“No Shortcuts with God”, March 16, 2010) and last year I had another one.

I was standing in the church lobby on a Sunday morning, when a man came in that I did not recognize. He marched right up to Rob, our Associate Minister, and said, “I need to speak to the preacher of this church.” Rob pointed me out. This man came over to me, placed his hands on my shoulders, looked me closely in the eye, and said (in a loud and forceful voice), “My name is Bill and I have a word from the Lord for you. Will you receive it?”

That’s a rather unusual way to open a conversation, isn’t it?

In our particular branch of God’s family, we don’t talk like this. We don’t expect people to show up, out of the blue, with “a word” from God. I was familiar with the concept, but not entirely comfortable with what was happening.

Yet I knew that Bill believed the Holy Spirit was directing him, and I was curious about his message. I did not actually know whether or not I would be able to “receive” what he said without first hearing the message. After all, Scripture tells us to evaluate what we hear that is offered to us as a prophecy (1 Corinthians 14:29). So after a moment of hesitation I said “Yes”, prepared to listen and try to discern if God really was speaking through him during this moment.

Bill said, “The next time you plan your sermons, God wants you to do so with your Bible open, in an attitude of prayer. He wants you to listen carefully and preach the truth.” Bill then prayed over me, asking God to bless me and to bless our church. 

We had a brief conversation and I learned that he never had visited our church before, nor did he know anyone in our congregation. He did not come to attend worship…he came solely to bring me this message. All week long, he said, the impression had been growing that he needed to stop by and give me this “word”. I thanked him for being faithful to do what he believed God was telling him to do, and then he left to attend worship at the church he attends (nearly 12 miles away).

Not a typical way to start a Sunday morning at church!

All of this was far outside my usual experience. It wasn’t bad, but it was a bit uncomfortable. And the very unusual nature of what took place… along with the fact that Bill was a total stranger… made it easy to think, “That guy is an oddball and I can just write him off.”

And yet…what’s not to like about the message Bill gave me? I always prepare my sermons in an attitude of prayer with my Bible open. After all, I cannot have perfect knowledge about what the people in our church need to hear. Only by praying, and trying to listen, can I discern what God wants me to say next. What Bill said was a marvelous affirmation of the way that I prepare messages.

On the other hand, looking at Bill’s comment objectively, God could have sent this same message to every pulpit minister that day and it would apply. Any preaching minister could…and should…gladly receive such a message. Shouldn’t every one of us prepare our messages with an open Bible and a heart open to God?

In other words, it seemed like a fairly generic “word from the Lord.”

Yet Bill was convinced that this word was specifically for me, on this day, on behalf of our church. Was this in fact true? Was he right? Was God speaking to him and speaking through him?

Yes.

I knew that this word truly was from God because of something that Bill did not know. Because of something Bill could not know.

That very afternoon I was leaving for a two-day study retreat to plan sermons for the next several months. 

Think about that: Bill showed up, with a message from God about sermon preparation, on the very day I was getting ready to start preparing future sermons. Clearly this was not a coincidence.

So I chose to receive what Bill said as a prophetic word from our loving God. I received this as a wake-up call to pay extremely close attention as I was studying. I recognized that I needed to be listening carefully to God.

I had goose bumps, because God had shown up in my life in an amazingly dramatic way. It was a wild, weird, and wonderful experience. God was speaking to me. He was speaking to me about my responsibility to listen carefully on behalf of our church.

The result of my study retreat was a series of messages that led our church through the Book of 1 Peter. And week after week, people in the church commented just how timely these sermons were for them individually. The series turned out to be quite timely in the life of our entire church, because it showed all of us how to live as men and women of faith in a culture that is rapidly turning away from God.

All of this was tremendously encouraging. It reminded us that God watches over us. He watches out for us. He has our best interests at heart.

God wanted to make sure that we spent time in the Book of 1 Peter. He wanted to catch my attention and make sure that I did not miss what He wanted to say to me. So our Loving Father sent the Spirit to prompt Bill – a complete stranger – to bring me a word of prophecy.

It was uncomfortable, it was out of ordinary, and therefore it would have been easy to discount or even ignore it. But I could not. It was a manifestation of the Holy Spirit for the good of our church.

God was speaking. There have been many other times when I know I have missed His voice. I am so thankful that on this particular morning, I was willing to listen.

-       Bruce

Give Me Clarity…Now Give Me More Clarity!

I often think, “If I just receive clarity from the Lord, I will gladly obey.” But in our recent journey, I’ve realized that fear can keep me from moving forward, even when God does provide clarity.

In Judges 6, we see a man named Gideon struggling with this same issue: receiving clarity, but still afraid of moving forward in his circumstances. How I can identify with Gideon!

An angel of the Lord appears to Gideon and tells him “the Lord is with you.” What more should he need than that kind of overt confirmation? Yet, Gideon questions that statement, feeling as if the Lord has abandoned him and the people of Israel.

The Lord then tells Gideon that he will be given strength to save Israel. But Gideon questions the angel of the Lord once again, and he does so by pointing out his unsuitably for the task: he’s weak, he’s young, he’s inadequate. The angel of the Lord reminds Gideon that God is with him!

I’m just like Gideon. I desire clarity…God gives me what I ask for…but then I doubt and ask for more clarity. Again and again.

Later on in Gideon’s life, the Spirit of the Lord comes upon him as he prepares the Israelites for battle. And despite God’s earlier faithfulness, Gideon once again questions Him, looking for assurance that the Lord will keep His promises to Israel.

As a way to confirm God’s will, Gideon places a wool fleece on a threshing floor, and offers a prayer. If there is dew only on the fleece and all the ground is dry, then he will know that the Lord is faithful. God graciously gives Gideon the sign he is looking for…yet Gideon continues to doubt. So he prays again, this time asking that the ground will be wet with dew and the fleece will be dry. God…ever gracious, ever patient…once again responds to Gideon’s request.

God is providing Gideon with incredible clarity about his direction, but – at almost every step - Gideon hesitates. He struggles with doubts; he offers excuses; he delays moving forward by asking questions. Why does he do this? Because he feels inadequate for the tasks ahead, even though he has been personally selected for those tasks by God Himself! Gideon is afraid. And his fear results in hesitation.

I understand exactly how Gideon feels, because God has given us tremendous clarity in recent months as we have waited upon Him. We certainly do not know all that the future holds, but He has faithfully given us clarity and direction at each step of our journey. We have learned that we do not need to understand all the steps that lie ahead…we just need to know the next step. And God has made the next step clear, time after time after time.

I love to analyze and compare and evaluate; I love to be in charge of the details of my life. So as Bruce and I prayerfully searched for a new church home, I wanted God to give us two or three or four or more options from which to choose.

But I was praying daily for clarity, so God directed us to one…and only one…church. You see, our loving Father knew that too many choices would not only muddy the water, it would cause us to think that we were in control. Instead, we had to rely on God. We had to trust His choice for us, rather than (as is usually the case) ask Him to bless the choices we make.

When we visited the church that God had picked out for us, I felt in my soul that He was confirming and clarifying His plan for us. So how did I respond? Did I react with faith and trust? Sadly…no. I responded just like Gideon, with doubts and questions and fears.

I felt inadequate. I questioned what it would be like to move to a new place with new people. Like Gideon, I wanted to ask for a re-check; to clarify if God really was speaking to us; to clarify that we actually understood His plan correctly.

Why the questioning? Why the doubts?

Fear. Just fear. I was afraid that I could not do what needed to be done; that I could not be who I needed to be.

However, as I pondered and prayed, I realized that Gideon and I both were looking at our challenges from the wrong angle. We were focusing on ourselves. We were struggling with our perceptions, our capabilities, our plans, our desires. By bringing me to the story of Gideon, God reminded me that the journey of faith is not built upon what I can do. It is about listening to God, hearing His voice, and following Him. Yes, I am weak and not always capable. But God is strong, always capable, and always faithful.

It was comforting to read Gideon’s account of his dialogue with God. For as I recognized my own fear and offered it to the Lord, His peace descended upon my heart…my mind…my soul. And I realized that it really is better not to know everything about the future. All I need to know is the next step.

All I need is clarity – just enough clarity – so that I can move forward in faith, following the Lord wherever He leads me.

- Julie

Pursuing A God-Sized Dream

Over the last few months, my mind has been turning again and again to the frenetic pace at which I lived for so many years. As I talk to other women, I realize that this is a widely shared problem, because too many of us simply do not have good boundaries. As a result, we have become plugged in, wired, over-functioning, multi-tasking creatures who often drive ourselves into the ground and (sometimes) drive the people around us crazy.

Because of my concern for the way in which too many of us live, I’ve periodically had an idea to create a place where women could come for rest and renewal. Where women can unplug, relax, experience beauty and serenity, and draw closer to God. But this idea never took on any concrete form. It just continued to be a vague, unformed concept that I might pursue someday.

Then, last December, Bruce wrote a blog entitled, “My dreams for Julie” [see December 12, 2009 post]. I’m sure that at least some his thoughts were sparked by the comments I would make from time-to-time, because his dreams for me included this idea of a gathering place: a room of quietness and beauty, where I could meet with women individually and in groups to encourage them to have meaningful times of personal reflection and prayer. His dreams also included a place where I could write devotional articles that would address the deepest needs of women; a way to share my heart for ministry through the written word.

Needless to say, it meant a great deal to have my husband articulate this prayer of dreams that were important to me.

The months passed and these dreams simmered. They were ever present, but there was little change or activity. And then, one day in April while I was exercising at the gym, our loving Father in Heaven began just pouring plans – specific and concrete plans – into my mind. For the first time, the dreams started to become real as God gave me a clear vision…of rooms, gardens, and colors. A vision of ministry programs that would touch the hearts and souls of women. A vision for a quarterly spiritual journal that could help women read, reflect, and feel God’s touch.

Since that day last spring, the Lord has continued to feed me details about how to bring this vision to life. And – as Bruce has prayed with me about these details - he has agreed with me that this is a vision from God. So we are embarking on a journey of faith (another one!) by writing a ministry plan and a business plan. And as we write, we receive more and more specifics from the Lord. We find that we’re doing very little “planning”…we’re mostly “listening” to capture what God is revealing to us.

At this point, the dream has become large; so large that it is truly beyond our puny ability to implement. We’re not sure at all of the “how” and the “when”, but we feel compelled by the Spirit to keep moving forward.

It’s interesting that as the vision becomes more clear, the steps involved become more complex. I find this overwhelming at times, but Bruce reminded me the other day that we do not need to see all of the steps: we just need to have clear direction about the next step. So as we take each step, in faith, we simply trust that God will reveal the step after that…and the step after that.

At this point, our best guess is that the full implementation of the dream still is a couple of years away. We will have to form a new non-profit organization, raise funds, purchase a site, develop it, recruit staff and volunteers…the “to do” list is a long one.

It is easy for me to be fearful, or to wonder what God is up to. Fear can paralyze me, and make me believe that a God-sized dream cannot happen through me. But I realize that this is false; it is a lie that the enemy wants me to believe. So moving forward to capture this dream is teaching me to stand with God and to stand against my fears.

I can see this dream so clearly in my mind…and I now look forward to the day when this dream will be a reality.

- Julie

The Punctuation of Prayer

A pastor I know presented a devotional talk a few years ago on “The Punctuation of Prayer”. I’ve never been able to get this phrase – or his key points – out of my head.

His talk challenged me to consider this question: “What kind of ‘punctuation marks’ do I use at the end of my prayers?” Specifically…

• Do my prayers usually end with exclamation points? (“Oh, Lord, please get me out of this jam!”)
• Do my prayers usually end with periods? (“Oh, Lord, please bless me today.”)
• Do my prayers usually end with question marks? (Oh, Lord, how do You want me to andle this situation?)

As I ponder these questions and evaluate my own prayer life, I realize that my approach to God is dominated by statements (the periods and exclamation points), not by inquiries (the question marks). Interestingly, even the requests that I present to my Heavenly Father tend to be phrased as statements…rather than questions.

For example, I often will pray: “Father, please give me wisdom as I make a decision today about _______.”

Notice the period.

Isn’t this an odd way to make a “request”? After all, if I were conversing with a close friend, or with my wife, I would phrase this as a question: “What advice would you give me as I consider the decision I have to make today?”

Obviously, I want more than “advice” from God, but doesn’t it make sense to approach Him in a conversational manner, just as I would a trusted friend? Wouldn’t it be appropriate to pray, “Father, You know that I have to make a decision today about ____. What would You like me to do in this situation?”

Since this makes so much sense…then why do I so seldom phrase my prayers as questions?

One reason: When I don’t really live as if I have a “relationship” with the Father, then it results in a prayer life that is formal and distant, not conversational.

Another reason: I may talk a good game about living in obedience to the Father, but I have to admit that my life is largely self-directed. So it’s easy to offer a ritualistic prayer where I “ask” God to direct my decisions…but then I charge ahead, running my life as I see fit.

A third reason: If I’m painfully honest, I have to admit that I don’t necessarily expect an overt answer from God; I expect to have to figure out stuff on my own. Ending my prayers with periods simply is a reflection of my attitude…because when I end my prayers with periods I do not live my day in expectation. I am less likely to be spiritually sensitive; less likely to look for the hand of God in circumstances; less likely to listen for His voice as others speak to me; less likely to watch for His emerging answers throughout the day.

But when I end my prayers with question marks, my outlook completely changes. Asking God sincere and open-ended questions awakens my heart…and my mind…and my soul…to listen and watch so that I can hear and see His answers. As King David writes, “In the morning, O Lord, you hear my voice; in the morning I lay my requests before you, and wait in expectation.” (Psalm 5:3)

This verse (like so many others) is an invitation to punctuate my prayers differently…to focus more on the question marks than the periods…and to live expectantly as I wait for my Heavenly Father to answer.

- Bruce

A New Way to Pray

God has been teaching me to listen to Him more closely. As noted in an earlier post (“Listening Beyond the Silence” – February 24), I’m trying to bring more times of silence and solitude into my life. Not surprisingly, this is changing the way I pray.

At least twice a week, Julie and I try to have a devotional time together that focuses on reading - and meditating upon - Scripture. Our times of meditation simply are moments of precious silence, when we listen…and listen…so we can absorb the meaning of God’s Word. By giving ourselves time to “soak” in the text, we find that we uncover ever deeper layers of meaning as God’s Spirit speaks to our minds, hearts, and souls. We also incorporate some formal, written prayers into these devotional times. [We’ve found the “daily office” materials offered by the Northumbria Community in England to be particularly helpful (http://www.northumbriacommunity.org/pray-the-daily-office); their meditations have deeply enriched our prayer times.]

In the past, I’ve never been fond of formal “liturgical” prayers because they lacked spontaneity. While this is true, it’s also true that when I pray spontaneously, my prayers are very “self”-oriented. In other words, even when they are not specifically about me, they are focused (obviously) on whatever is on my mind at the moment. The written prayers and meditations, on the other hand, lead me into spiritual territory where I normally would not journey on my own. And sometimes these liturgical prayers express – better than I ever could – the deepest longings of my soul.

In addition to our own devotional times, Julie and I now are part of two different “Reflection and Connection” groups. These groups meet weekly, and we focus on reading Scripture, sitting in silence to listen to God and absorb the meaning of the text, and then sharing what we sense Jesus saying to each of us personally. And our prayer times (both silent and aloud) are informed by the rich, personal sharing that has taken place.

What a contrast to the typical “Bible Study” groups we’ve led in the past (and which, I hasten to add, have great value). I’m so used to reading the text, then immediately diving into a discussion about all the things we see. The discipline of slowing down to reflect, before any discussion, makes a huge difference in what I actually take away from the text. This, in turn, is changing the way I pray.

My spontaneous prayers are richer and deeper, because I’m talking less and listening more. Listening to my soul. Listening to God to know Him better. And as I listen, I more easily can hear and recognize His voice as He speaks His truth into my life.

Prayer used to be a chore, but now it is an ever-growing joy…because God is teaching me a new way to pray.

- Bruce

God Speaks In My Dreams

Over the last few months, I’ve been having an increasing number of dreams. I had a growing sense that God was trying to speak to me, because different kinds of dreams often had common themes. So I made a conscious effort to try to remember them and then write them down as soon as I woke up. After writing them down, I would ponder them and pray over them to try to discern their meaning. 

Here are the recurring themes, along with an example from one of the dreams that God has given to me.

Theme No. 1 – Rescue: 
I am in a place of danger and need to be rescued by the Lord.

Example - Bruce and I are in a large boat that is stuck on some rocks and damaged. An island nearby offers shelter and safety, but we can’t move our boat and it’s too far to swim. Jesus is in a small boat nearby, and He is ready to carry us from our damaged boat to the island. But even though we are desperate, we are unable to get off the boat and receive the help that Jesus wants to provide.

Theme No. 2 – Guilt:
I feel guilt over the flaws I see in myself and I hunger for the mercy of God.

Example - I’m awaiting execution, but I’ve been given no opportunity to plead my case. I’m being marched toward the firing squad…we get closer and closer…and suddenly a judge appears and agrees to listen to me. I explain my circumstances, and the judge offers me a full pardon.

Theme No. 3 – My Future:
I worry that we will not find a new church with the right “fit”.

Example - Bruce and I have come to serve a new church. It is filled with wonderful people, but it is a very isolated, rural community and we have nothing in common with them. One of the staff members is someone we know, and he assures us that we will fit right in. But I feel disappointment and sadness…and I find myself questioning whether or not God really knows what He is doing.

Theme No. 4 – Preparation:
I am not yet ready to arrive in a new place.

Example – I am traveling on a plane with a couple of friends, and I decide to take no luggage of any kind because it’s too much of a hassle and will slow me down. So I bring no suitcase, no carry-on baggage…nothing. It makes passing through security a breeze, but when I arrive I am totally unprepared because I have no clothing and no supplies. I am filled with dismay as I realize the high price I will pay for my lack of preparation.

As I pondered these dreams, here is what I sensed God saying to me...

I will rescue you. You don’t need to try to frantically get to safety. This is My job, not yours.

I have pardoned you, and I will continue to grant you mercy. Just trust Me and follow Me.

I have your best interests at heart, and I will send you to a place where your service will be fruitful and fulfilling.

It is not yet time to go. But - at the right time - you will be ready. This is a time to continue to rest and wait, while looking with hope toward the unfolding adventure ahead.

As I heard God’s voice, the message of the dreams ultimately comforted me and reassured me. I know that I simply am to rest and take one day at a time – listening, watching…and waiting in hope.

- Julie

Listening Beyond the Silence

"Be still and know that I am God…"
Psalm 46:10

The LORD said, "Go out and stand on the mountain in the presence of the LORD, for the LORD is about to pass by." Then a great and powerful wind tore the mountains apart and shattered the rocks before the LORD, but the LORD was not in the wind. After the wind there was an earthquake, but the LORD was not in the earthquake. After the earthquake came a fire, but the LORD was not in the fire. And after the fire came a gentle whisper. When Elijah heard it, he pulled his cloak over his face and went out and stood at the mouth of the cave.     
1 Kings 19:11-13

These Bible verses are familiar to me, but I confess that I’ve never fully understood them. In particular, here are three questions that I’ve pondered:

1) Why does the Psalmist have to be “still” in order to know God?
2) Why does Elijah hear the voice of God not in a mighty way, but as a “gentle whisper”?
3) Is this advice specific to these individuals, or does it also apply to me?

I’m starting…just starting…to understand. Yes, these verses do apply to me. Through these verses, God is offering me timeless wisdom about how I can know Him better. And I now see the key, critical, vital, life-changing point: God whispers so that I will choose to slow down! He wants me to embrace silence and stillness so that I can hear His voice clearly and without distractions.

In all my years of following Jesus, I’ve never approached God in this way. 

As I reflect on my relationship with the Lord, I recognize that I’ve often struggled to discern His will. His “voice” usually has seemed muffled. But this should not be a surprise, because I’ve never taken the time to truly listen. My life is filled with busyness and activity; my mind is constantly abuzz with thoughts and plans and dreams and fantasies and hopes and fears and worries and anxieties….

I have created a wall of almost impenetrable clutter; it’s no wonder that God’s voice is indistinct to my ears.

So I have embarked on a journey into stillness before the Lord. This journey began last September in the eastern Sierras when Julie and I enjoyed our retreat. We spent several afternoons paddling our kayak on the beautiful, and nearly empty, alpine lakes. We would paddle and drift, and simply listen. I would listen to the wind in the aspens. Listen to the birds. Listen to the water lapping against the rocks along the lakeshore. The more I listened, the more I heard. And sometimes I actually could “hear” the silence. As I learned to listen to God’s creation, I started to learn more about how to listen for His voice. And “hearing the silence” seems to be a key component of learning to hear God.

I enjoy military history, and years ago I read about a sonar operator on a U.S. submarine. He was describing his job, and one comment stood out: “To be effective at this job, you must learn to listen until you hear the silence. And then you can listen through the silence and start to hear the subtle sounds of the deep.”

This description fits with the way I am striving to listen to God. I am learning…slowly…to quiet my mind. To sit before Him in stillness. To read Scripture and simply let my mind soak in His truth. As I do these things, I am starting to hear the silence. And beyond the silence, I know that I will hear – far more clearly – the gentle whisper of my loving Heavenly Father.

-  Bruce