Are You Listening?
Imagine that we just walked into an enchanting cafe. We quickly scan the room for the perfect table and find one located right in front of a large picturesque window. The view is spectacular! Don’t you just love places like this? Cozy little nooks, oozing with ambiance, certainly set the scene for meaningful conversations!
A typical conversation begins with one person talking while the other person listens. It’s safe to say that these are the core ingredients in any conversation with someone. There is an exchange of talking and listening.
I know that it’s impossible to have a conversation with you right now, but just imagine with me for a moment that we are sitting in that café. We are talking and you are sharing something rather meaningful and important. Think about this for a moment:
How does it make you feel when someone actively listens to what you have to say?
Let’s consider what the word, listening, actually means:
1. Give one's attention to a sound,
2. Take notice of and act on what someone says; respond to advice or a request,
3. Make an effort to hear something; be alert and ready to hear something.
Listening is so attentive and focused. I don’t know about you, but I feel incredibly seen and appreciated when someone is actively listening to what I have to say.
I have been in conversations where this was not the case. I was almost tempted to just walk away because of the lack of attention and distractedness, but with patience and grace I persevered. Thank you, Jesus! Have you ever been in a conversation like that? On the other hand, if I could be honest with you, I have also been guilty of not being an active listener at times. I am thankful for grace in those moments.
The biggest communication problem is we do not listen to understand. We listen to reply.
We are human and we are imperfect. We mess up and slip up. I am thankful for God and His grace. It’s in His perfectness that I can learn how to be a good listener. No one listens better than Jesus. I am thankful that I can be more like Him each day.
They say, “You are who your friends are”. Why do you think that is? I think it’s true because spending time with people we love and enjoy can shape and influence us. We become who we surround ourselves with.
To be more like Jesus we need to spend time with Him in His presence. I am reminded of when Jesus would often go to a quiet place, a lonely place, to pray and spend time with His Father.
Luke 5:16 “But Jesus often withdrew to lonely places and prayed.”
Jesus’s calling, destiny, identity, and entire ministry on earth was blessed by the Father’s will. Jesus prioritized prayer and intentional time with His Father because He did not want to do anything that was not His Father’s will.
When I think about prayer and what it looks like in my life, it’s like a conversation I would have with a very close friend. It’s also a conversation with reverence, fear of the Lord and confidence, knowing that as a daughter of the King, I can approach His throne room in prayer.
If prayer is like a conversation, then I have to ask myself this question:
Am I giving space for God to speak to my heart, or I am doing all the talking?
Y’all, this is a TOUGH question to answer if I am being honest!
Prayer is not a ONE WAY conversation. When we look at the life of Jesus, we see that Jesus prayed, but He also allowed His Father to speak while He listened. From that exchange, Jesus knew what His Father wanted and willed Him to do.
“Courage is what it takes to stand up and speak; courage is also what it takes to sit down and listen.” Winston Churchill
Prayer is inviting Jesus into our conversations. It’s being intentional with TIME and having the courage to LISTEN.
Holy Spirit has things to say to us that will encourage, direct, and bring clarity.
What does our prayer time with Jesus look like?
Jesus is calling us to the quiet place where He dwells. His presence is in the secret place.
The secret place (or lonely place) is an undistracted place.
It’s a place where our spiritual roots can grow deeper.
It’s a sacred place where we spend intentional time with the Holy Spirit.
It’s a place where we can read the truth, listen to His voice, and experience His presence. This transforms and renews us so that we can live and be an example of Jesus.
I am encouraged by the story of Elijah in 1 Kings 19. Elijah was in the DEPTHS OF DESPAIR, but God’s assignment for him was not over. God sent an angel to tend to Elijah as he made his way to Mt. Horeb, the mountain of God. When Elijah found a cave, he slept. This was the quiet place.
When he awoke, God asked Elijah a question, “What are you doing here, Elijah?” Elijah responded by saying, “I have been very zealous for the Lord God Almighty. The Israelites have rejected Your covenant, torn down Your altars, and put Your prophets to death with the sword. I am the only one left, and now they are trying to kill me too.”
The Lord then instructed Elijah to go out and stand on the mountain because the presence of the Lord was about to pass by. The Lord asked Elijah the same question again, “What are you doing here, Elijah?” We read in this passage that the Lord was not in the powerful wind, earthquake, or fire. The Scripture tells us that the Lord came in a gentle whisper.
Elijah showed courage to listen and respond to the question God asked him. It was in the quiet place and in the presence of the Lord that Elijah was able to have this conversation and received his final assignment. After Elijah spent time in the presence of the Lord - intentional time with God - he was able to continue on. He was reminded of his purpose, and he was given strength and boldness once again!
We can experience the presence of the Lord right where we are. It’s in that place where we find our strength, purpose and identity to step into what God has anointed each of us to accomplish.
Zechariah 4:6 tells us that God’s work is “Not by might nor by power, but by My Spirit, says the Lord.”
We really need to listen to the voice of the Holy Spirit. We need His presence to be more like Him.
You are anointed to do AMAZING things!
Bethany Marshall
