Devotional
for the Week—2 April 2007
Sermon
Title: Listening to the voice of God
Scripture Text: 1 Kings 19: 8 - 18
Listening
to God
Many of us long to hear God speak to us. Is there a magic formula
or is it only for a few elite people? Neither. It is not that
God rarely speaks to us but that we have not trained our ears
to listen to His voice. He loves us and desires to have a personal
relationship with us, but are we willing to reciprocate?
Listening
Prayer
What does “listening to God” mean? There are three
postures of “Listening Prayer”.
1. Undistracted Attentiveness
2. Undisturbed Devotion
3. Unhurried Waiting
1
Undistracted Attentiveness
The Hebrew word for listening is ‘qashab’
that describes a sort of alertness. It means to ‘prick
up the ear, like an alert animal which is paying close attention.
The same word is also used to describe our attentiveness to
God and our intense desire to listen to the voice of God. Conversely,
God also loves to “qashab” to our prayers (Psalm
66:19). In the following Psalms, the psalmists pray and cry
out to the Lord (Psalm 17:1; 55:2; 61:1; 86:6; 130:2; 142:6).
In the same way, God’s eyes roam to and fro throughout
the whole earth, seeking those hearts who are truly His (2 Chronicles
16: 9). God’s ears and eyes are attentive to the prayers
of those who seek Him. God is never so pre-occupied that He
is not listening to us.
2
Undisturbed Devotion
The word “undisturbed devotion”
is translated from the Greek word “euprosedros”
which means “sitting well towards”. It gives a picture
of a person completely engrossed in what another is saying.
This term reminds us of Mary at the feet of Jesus in Luke 10:38-42.
In this incident, Martha was very upset with Mary and Jesus
gently reminded her that she was worried and upset about many
things, but only one thing was needed and Mary had chosen what
was better and it would not be taken away from her. Like Mary,
are we are able to focus on Jesus and allow Him to speak with
us, or are we distracted by many things that crowd our mind?
Are we a Mary or a Martha?
3
Unhurried Waiting
Waiting on God is a very important part of prayer. Very often
we must wait to hear the still small voice within our hearts
or wait for Him to speak to us through His Word. Answered prayer
comes from maintaining an intimate relationship with God. Many
spiritual giants wake up early in the morning to seek God in
prayer and allow God to communicate with them. After all, prayer
is a two-way communication - we must learn to pray as well as
to listen to God. For example, there will be times when God
desires us to intercede for certain people or situations. He
may remind us of some people, a situation or a need. As we pray
accordingly, God will respond by answering our prayers. This
is divine partnership and is developed through process of waiting
on Him. In summary,
* We speak, He listens.
* He speaks, we listen.
* We pray, He answers.
Application
How do we learn to hear God’s voice?
1 Learn to “still” or “quieten” your soul.
(Psalm 46:10)
2. Learn to journalise the writing of your prayers and God’s
answers. This will provide a great new freedom in hearing God’s
voice.
3. Learn to constantly fix your eyes on Jesus. Keep your mind
and heart in tune with God by short prayers and praises.
4. Learn to check all that you hear according to the Word of God.
Conclusion
Listening to God begins with a relationship – actively listening
to God and believing He is actively listening to us. Do not allow
your prayers to be a one way conversation. Otherwise, you will
never experience effective and wholesome prayer life and ministry.
Prayer Response:
Dear Jesus, I realize that if I wish to have a relationship with
You, I need to focus my thoughts on You alone. I need to wait
on You and listen attentively to what you tell me. May I respond
positively to all the things you ask me to do. Let me have a partnership
with You. Amen
Devotional
based on a message by Rev Vincent Goh