Are you listening? Meditate, reflect on him, and look for what God may teach you in silence. Devote more moments to simply listen to Jesus.
Hi, I'm Joni Eareckson Tada, and this is one of my favorite praise songs.
(Joni sings:)
Speak, O Lord, as we come to you
to receive the food of your holy word.
Take your truth, plant it deep in us,
shape and fashion us in your likeness.
That the light of Christ might be seen today
in our acts of love and our deeds of faith
Speak, O Lord, and fulfill in us
all your purposes for your glory.
That’s a beautiful contemporary song by Keith and Kristyn Getty, and I wish I had a voice like hers! Wish I could write like Keith, too, because the words of this song are so simple, but man, they’re powerful. Speak, O Lord. Speak to me. Speak to your church. And it begs the question, are we listening? I mean, we do a lot of talking, but do we listen to the Spirit of Christ when he speaks? And it’s a noisy world; there is so much going on. It’s like, listening is a lost art.
You know how it is: you get together with a friend, someone you haven’t seen in a while, and before you know it, you’ve filled the air with a lot of talk about – about you. And you realize in embarrassment that you’re rambling on about yourself and have nearly forgotten to include your friend or even God in the conversation. And some of us don’t even realize we’re hogging up the conversation! Oh, to be able to listen! Use words with restraint, and just listen.
It’s why I love traveling with my husband or my best friends. We are able to relax and be silent in each other’s presence. No forced conversations. No filling the air with empty chatter. It makes it easier to hear someone when they do actually have something to say. It’s easier to listen.
When you stop talking long enough to listen to the spirit of Christ speak, you learn something. Only in silence can what you hear filter from your head into your heart. Only in silence can you hear the heartbeat of God and his still, small voice. In quiet, you realize spiritual insights that reach far beyond words. To listen to the Lord means to wait on him. Look, in this noisy world, that’s simply a discipline most of us don’t do, to wait on the Lord? To cup your ear to see what he has to say? I know too many times I read the Bible and it’s onto the next thing without pausing to ask God, “Now, Jesus what is it you’re saying to me? What word do you have for me? There must be something here more than meets the eye so speak, Lord, me, I, your servant, I listen.”
And, hey, you can practice this right now. Yes, with God and yes, even with the people you meet today. Make a concerted effort to talk less and listen more. Proverbs 17:27 says that, “A man of knowledge uses words with restraint...” How about this evening when you retire? Try a little wordless worship, just lie in bed, look up at the ceiling; imagine that you are standing before the throne of God and worship him from your heart and your thoughts. Meditate, reflect on him and look for what God may teach you in silence. Devote more moments to simply listening to Jesus. And I tell you what – he’ll speak.
© Joni and Friends