Listening to God

Psalm 46:10
“Be still and know that I am God”

Can you recall a time when someone was yelling to get your attention at a sports event but you didn’t hear him?  There were so many other voices-people yelling, music playing, your own cheering-that you couldn’t hear your name being called.  For the same reason, we often don’t hear God speaking to us.  We get so busy talking, working and rushing here to there that we cannot hear Him.
 
We may also miss the voice of God in another way.  Have you ever been so focused on what you were doing that you didn’t hear your name being called?  Watching TV or working on the computer, someone was calling your name but you never knew it?  It was not that you couldn’t hear it, or that the voice they were using was too soft.  It was simply a matter of attention.  You didn’t hear your name being called because you weren’t paying attention.
 
Two amazing things happen when we take time to fast.  First, we slow down and become quiet so we can hear God.  Second, we take time away from our normal daily routine so that we can focus our attention on Him.  
 
Now, listening can be difficult.  Sometimes, if we don’t listen, natural consequences arise.  Your engine is knocking but you don’t pay attention to it, something inconvenient and expensive is bound to happen!  In the same way, listening to the wrong voice can be problematic. We receive all kinds of thought when we are praying and fasting.  Some are wonderful thoughts from God, and others might be conflicting thoughts from our memory.  Some originate from our selfish nature and draw us away from God and point us in the wrong direction.  How can we know which is from God and that which is not?  Ask yourself a few simple questions:
·     Is the message disruptive, confusing or point in many different directions?  Probably not from God.

·     Is the message contrary to God’s Word?  Definitely not from God.

·     Is the message clear, purposeful, peaceful and in alignment with His Word?  Then it’s probably a correction, encouragement or directive from God.

Usually when God speaks to us, he is persistent.  God called Samuel more than once: “The Lord called yet again, ‘Samuel’” (1 Samuel 3:6).  Now, the most important discipline of fasting isn’t the act of fasting from something and enduring the temporal longings for what we are choosing to go without.  No, the most critical aspect of fasting is when God speaks or reveals something, we respond and yield to His will, doing what He commands.

Our lives have become hectic.  There are jobs, chores, demands, commuting and traffic.  We need to come out of the everyday routine, slow down, get still, fast, and make time to listen to God.
 
What are the results of fasting?  Quiet and focus.

 
Tips on Listening

1.     Get Ready.  Find a quiet, distraction-free place that is comfortable and dedicate an amount of time to be there.  Also, make sure you have your Bible, a journal or notebook to jot down notes, thoughts and scripture (don’t forget your pen).

2.     Get Quiet.  Like Psalm 46:10 says, “Be still…”  If you do all the talking, all you’ll learn is what you already know.  

3.     Get Still.  “Being still” usually refers to the absence of physical motion or activity. Can you “be still” while in motion or among others?  Yes!  You can “be still” before God while you exercise, on the plane, in the yard, etc.  The secret is establishing a “still spirit” or a listening attitude and intent, not just a still body.  “Be still and know that I am God” (Psalm 46:10).