In today's thoughts, may we slow down, read, and listen with an opened heart to what God has to say. God so loved the world…you, me, your neighbor…friends, He so loved ALL the people of THE WORLD.
A vital part in the believer's life is to stay in a relationship with God through prayer, worship, and Bible study - meditation on scriptures, communion, and fellowship with other believers. Prayer, then, can be said to be comprised of both a conversation with God and listening to Him through His word and other believers.
The Holy Spirit will deal with us in this very idea of actively listening. So many times, problems arise in relationships because of poor communication. The common cause of poor communication is usually that of one individual being a poor listener. I would have to say listening has been a common fault of all of us, including myself, in the past.
I have come to the conclusion that listening is a skillful art…one that must be learned and practiced, which may not come naturally to many people. You might say that if we are not listening, we will not hear. Actively listening must become a part of every Christian's life so that we are effective in God's Kingdom work.
In today's thoughts, may we slow down, read, and listen with an opened heart to what God has to say. God so loved the world…you, me, your neighbor…friends, He so loved ALL the people of THE WORLD. A vital part in the believer's life is to stay in a relationship with God through prayer, worship, and Bible study - meditation on scriptures, communion, and fellowship with other believers. Prayer, then, can be said to be comprised of both a conversation with God and listening to Him through His word and other believers. The Holy Spirit will deal with us in this very idea of actively listening. So many times, problems arise in relationships because of poor communication. The common cause of poor communication is usually that of one individual being a poor listener. I would have to say listening has been a common fault of all of us, including myself, in the past.
I have come to the conclusion that listening is a skillful art. One that must be learned and practiced, which may not come naturally to many people. You might say that if we are not listening, we will not hear. Actively listening must become a part of every Christian's life so that we are effective in God's Kingdom work. This also includes the question, when God speaks, "Do you listen?" Listed below are thirteen scriptures showing us that God is a good listener and that it will take us listening to hear what He is saying. So listening is to be a vital part of our praying.
John 10:27 – 28 My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me: And I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any [man] pluck them out of my hand (KJV).
2 Samuel 22:7 In my distress I called upon the LORD, and cried to my God: and he did hear my voice out of his temple, and my cry [did enter] into his ears (KJV).
1 Kings 8:30 And hearken thou to the supplication of thy servant, and of thy people Israel, when they shall pray toward this place: and hear thou in heaven thy dwelling place: and when thou hearest, forgive (KJV).
2 Kings 20:5 Turn again, and tell Hezekiah the captain of my people, Thus saith the LORD, the God of David thy father, I have heard thy prayer, I have seen thy tears: behold, I will heal thee: on the third day thou shalt go up unto the house of the LORD (KJV).
Job 34:28 So that they cause the cry of the poor to come unto him, and he heareth the cry of the afflicted (KJV).
Psalms 4:3 But know that the LORD hath set apart him that is godly for himself: the LORD will hear when I call unto him (KJV).
Here are a few more scriptures taken from the (NLT) on the importance of listening.
Psalms 9:12 For he who avenges murder cares for the helpless. He does not ignore the cries of those who suffer.
Psalms 28:6 Praise the LORD! For he has heard my cry for mercy.
Psalms 34:4 I prayed to the LORD, and he answered me. He freed me from all my fears.
Psalms 91:15 When they call on me, I will answer; I will be with them in trouble. I will rescue and honor them.
Psalms145:18 The LORD is close to all who call on him, yes, to all who call on him in truth.
Jeremiah 33:3 Ask me and I will tell you remarkable secrets you do not know about things to come.
Zechariah 13:9 I will bring that group through the fire and make them pure. I will refine them like silver and purify them like gold. They will call on my name, and I will answer them. I will say, 'These are my people,' and they will say, 'The LORD is our God.
Be assured that God is always listening. As a believer, God has promised to hear us and answer our prayers. It is vital that we learn to listen to Him and discern His voice; for HE WILL guide us, give us His wisdom, show us His ways and reveal His truth to us as we learn to listen. Prayer then becomes a conversation (a discussion) in which we are actively engaged in both talking to God and listening to Him.
He sent us and gave us His very Spirit, the Holy Spirit to reveal to us who He is in us and to lead us into all truth, speaking to us in many ways. Yes, He is working in us. God can and will talk to us in many different ways. Here are a few ways God speaks to us; He will talk to us through: His Word – the Bible, circumstances, His "small" still voice, our consciences, visions, dreams, nature, other people, Christian literature, worship, and through one of the most important ways, the Holy Spirit leading us into all truth. I'm sure there are many other ways that God speaks to us…so you see…God is speaking, and we do need to listen if we want to hear Him. May you see what I see in penning these thoughts this morning; that we must be an ACTIVE LISTENER.
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