Page 23 - HowTo'sOfChristianLife

How can God speak to you if you don’t take the time to listen?

Quietness is essential to listening. If you are too busy to listen, you
won’t hear. If you spend night after night watching television and
then trying to listen, you will find your mind jammed with carnal
interference. It takes time and quietness to prepare to listen to God.

Psalm 62:5 - “My soul waits quietly for God
alone, for my expectation is from Him.”

That is why so many people through the centuries have sought
seclusion in the desert or mountains or monasteries. There the
noise of civilization vanishes, and the voice of God doesn’t have
quite so much competition. Such silence, however, can be found in
the quiet of a living room late at night or at the kitchen table early
in the morning. The place isn’t important; the decibel level is. God’s
voice is still and quiet and easily buried under an avalanche of clamor.

3. Listen patiently.

There are some things God will not tell you instantly. You will hear
some special revelations only after having waited a season of time,
and one of the reasons is simply you’re not always ready. Because
of that God will sometimes withhold until you are prepared to listen.
You must be willing to listen to Him patiently because these times
may draw out and stretch your faith.

He has promised to speak to your heart, so you can expect Him to; but
He is not compelled to tell you everything you want to know the moment
you desire the information. You might as well say, “Lord, here’s my
order today. Please give me an answer before I get off my knees.”

It may be weeks later before God speaks to you about this -- not
because He forgot you, but because in the process of waiting, He is
changing and preparing you to hear His message, which you may
not have received had He spoken instantaneously.

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