“Listen carefully to my wise council.” Proverbs 5:1
“Listen and obey!” I say it to my kids all the time! Since they were old enough to follow any kind of instruction, I would remind them, listen to what I am saying and obey. When I would say these 3 words, my boys have learned to stop, be quiet and listen. They grew to understand that what I was about to say was non-negotiable AND it would require action on their part. This was not just a thing I need them to do for me, but it’s a life principle, listen to God and obey His instruction.
Listening requires me to be quiet. I must allow time in my day to be quiet and listen for God’s voice. There is so much noise in our lives today. So many distractions that keep us moving. I know I must be intentional to set time to just listen.
I’ve read somewhere that listening is a learned skill. It’s a practice that we must work on getting right. I know I have lots of words to say. I have strong opinions and ideas I’ve been intentional about teaching my boys to listen, but I myself must learn to listen. I must create space in my life to listen to my Father.
And then I must obey! This step is easy if the obedience action is something I like. Or, something easy. But it can be hard when He’s calling me out of my comfort zone. It can be hard when He is identifying sin in my life and calling me to repentance. It can be hard when He is asking me to forgive and extend grace to someone who has hurt me deeply. It’s in those difficult moments that I must remember that He is for me and His instructions are for my good. They will keep me from destruction.
Father continue teaching me to listen. Help me to create more space in my life to just listen. Lead me to quiet moments where I can hear You. And give me the understanding and courage to walk out those things you speak. Amen.
You are invited to join us in the Journaling Through Proverbs Facebook Group. I want to hear how you make intentional space in life to just listen to Him.