Shhhh!

And behold, the Lord passed by, and a great and strong wind tore into the mountains and broke the rocks in pieces before the Lord, but the Lord was not in the wind; and after the wind an earthquake, but the Lord was not in the earthquake; and after the earthquake a fire,but the Lord was not in the fire; and after the fire a still small voice.     - 1 Kings 19:11-12

The world we live in is full of wind, and fire and earthquakes… both literal and figurative. Some are beyond our control, but far too many of them we willingly choose and accept in our lives. These are the things in our lives that prevent us from hearing God’s still, small voice.

The passage from 1 Kings is among my favorite scriptures. I love thinking about the fact that God, in all his omniscience could certainly yell to get our attention, and woe be to the one he’s raising his voice at. Instead though, he speaks quietly, forcing us to choose to listen if we want to hear. Think of all the times in the New Testament that Jesus says “Let those who have ears to hear, listen.”

Do we? Do we have ears to hear the words God has in store for us? He has plans for us all, plans for our benefit, plans for his kingdom, but if we don’t listen then we miss out. My challenge this month for everyone is work at developing “ears to hear.” The first step is to stop.

That’s the 180 to pull this month, the complete change from a behavior the world tells us is normal: if you are constantly on the go, running and doing, stop. I know the very thought of stopping causes some people alarm. The thought of being still, and just listening is not always comfortable. Do it anyway. We have grown far too comfortable with the busyness, the frantic running about. School has started, and kids have their multitude of activities, as do we all: work and clubs and sports and boards and associations all clamor for our time, our energy and our attention. Pick a time during the week where you can sit and do none of it, even just for a little while.

Make it a point to share this time with your spouse. The Lord has plans for you as a couple as well. If our marriages are supposed to show the world a picture of what God’s love is, then you have to be on the same page with what those plans are. Talk, pray, dream, and listen intently for His voice together. As it says in Jeremiah 29:13:

And you will seek Me and find Me, when you search for Me with all your heart.