Life is odd. It
is sometimes filled with confusion and uncertainties. You never know for sure what’s
coming. One day is fine – the birds are singing, the sun is shining and the
kids aren’t fighting. The next day monsters come out from under the bed and out
of the closet from all directions. The fridge breaks down, all 4 kids wake up with
pink eye, so you need to stay home from work, but have no vacation days left.
But wait, it gets better, you have spent all your grocery money and don’t get
paid for another 5 days. Stuff happens! Am I right?
Malcolm Muggeridge,
a Christian scholar made a statement that I sincerely value. He said, “Every
happening, great and small, is a parable whereby God speaks to us, and the art
of life is to get the message.”
The parables
Jesus told are to help people understand an unfamiliar concept or idea. He
painted vivid pictures with His words so the people could ‘figure it out’. He
used commonplace things to illustrate His point and help someone come to a
conclusion.
At my current workplace, we have begun a study called Rooted. This week’s study was on prayer. Matthew
6:33 says, “But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these
things will be given to you as well.” Sometimes we pray and pray seeking God,
seeking an answer or clarity. We wait, and wait and wait perhaps thinking God
is not really hearing our cry. News Flash!! God doesn’t send a text or an email
with an answer. We play a part in getting an answer. Prayer is a two-way
conversation. Our part is to stop, be silent, and listen. Pay attention to the
“happenings, great and small”, and find God speaking to you through them. In
other words, ‘get the message’ He has for you. He really could answer you and
guide you in so many different ways. But
we have to be paying attention. We have to be listening. What are some of the
ways God speaks to you? Think about that
for a moment.
I believe it is
an art to find and hear God in the things that happen. It takes practice. It
takes being still and that can be hard. Take it from the person who has to get up
and do something during every single TV commercial. It is hard to sit still.
But hear Psalm 46:10 – “Be still and know that I am God…” Be still!
God’s promise
in Psalm 32:8 is “I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; I
will counsel you and watch over you.” I learned the lesson of listening and
paying attention many years ago and have never forgotten it. I was working
in an office setting. I knew my time there was done, but it was comfortable. I
was paid well, it was close to home, so for literally months I was asking God
for direction – should I leave should I stay, blah, blah, blah…One Sunday I was
sitting in church before service started and was praying again – God what
should I do. I flipped open my Bible and immediately focused on these words found
in Isaiah 46:12 “Listen to me, you stubborn-hearted, you who are far from
righteousness.” LISTEN TO ME… Believe
me, I got the message! Did you ever see a child place one hand on either side
of mom’s cheeks and turn her head so she was looking him right in the eyes? The
child is saying ‘listen to me, mom’, ‘focus on me’ ‘I am trying to tell you something’.
That morning it was as if God placed a hand on either side of my face and
turned my head in His direction – ‘LISTEN TO ME’, ‘FOCUS ON ME’, ‘I AM TRYING
TO TELL YOU SOMETHING’. I had not taken the time to listen or pay attention to the answer – my heart had been telling me to move on! I wasn’t listening to my
heart. My family said to move on. I did not listen to them either. ‘Happenings
great and small’ told me it was not the place for me to be. I failed to ‘get
the message’ even in all that. However, God, because He is who He is, kept His
promise and got my attention by calling me a “stubborn-hearted” fool. Listen to me!!!
Matthew 7: 7 “Ask
and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be
opened to you.”
Once we learn
to listen and pay attention, we have an amazingly perfect resource to find
peace, contentment, understanding, direction, & clarity. He alone brings
calm in all the chaos of life. However, we have to do our part, too! Listen!
I would
encourage you to get in a quiet place for a prayer time today. After you are
finished praying, spend 3 minutes in the quiet and just listen. Perhaps write down
what you hear from God. I suggest you begin to make this a daily practice. I
think you will be pleasantly surprised at what you hear from God as you listen to Him.
