Listening

I've been reading about Elijah recently. When he left Mount Carmel after his victory over the prophets of Baal, he fled for his life and we read of the time when God spoke to him, not in the earthquake, the wind or the fire... but in a still small voice. Elijah knew what it was to hear God speak to him in mighty dramatic ways, but he also knew how to listen for that voice speaking to him in the quietness.

Sometimes we find it difficult to hear what God is saying to us and there can be many reasons for that - we are too busy with our own lives... we are too focused on what we want to happen, how we want a situation to work out... we are listening to what everyone else is saying. We need to learn how to shut down all these voices and to let God speak.

I remember something that happened to me many years ago. I was faced with a situation where two courses of action were possible... and I knew that I desperately wanted to take one road and not the other. But I did want to be careful to do the right thing. The battle I had was to be open to either way being the right way. I pictured the first road being the one God wanted - that was easy. But then I deliberately opened my spirit to the other road being the right way. I pictured how it might work out and asked God to help me accept that. And, gradually, that happened. Only then was I able to hear what the still, small voice was saying and to be sure I was making the right decision on the matter. A chorus comes to mind -
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God’s way is the best way. God’s way is the right way.
I’ll trust in Him alway - He knoweth the best.

We can never improve on God’s plans - but we must learn to listen and to be open to what He is saying.

​Jennifer