Take Time to Stop and Listen to the Voice of God...

I’ve been meditating on the verse found in John 10:27, “My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me.”  These days our lives can become so busy just keeping up with our daily activities that we forget to stop and listen to the voice of God.  God is there every moment of every day waiting to give us guidance and encouragement if we are patient and listen.  Think about those things that matter most to you in life.  With me it begins with my relationship with God.  As important as that relationship is, some days I still wrestle with myself to be in tune with God.  We all have daily pressures that challenge our time of just listening.  On those days that I am challenged, I need to learn to shut out the busyness of life and get into a mode of worship, prayer, and listening.  As one of His sheep, I want to know His voice and follow.

The second most important thing in my life is my family.  I want my family to see that I’m a person who is sensitive to the voice of God.  I want to be the person who sets the standard that my children, my new granddaughter, and other family members will want to follow.  I want to set that example through my Sunday worship, my daily prayer life, and the choices I make on a daily basis.  Without knowing the voice of God, I will fail in every one of these areas.  Yes, I will put on a good front and at times live the way God would want me to live, but eventually my will... will surpass God’s will.  We all will fall into this trap if we don’t practice listening to God’s voice.

My encouragement for you this week is to start by spending some quality time with God. Find a place where no one can distract you from this time with your Maker.  Then, after some time in the Word and prayer, just be still and listen for God to speak to your heart.  Remember, the Bible teaches in 1 Kings 19:11-12 that God is found in a whisper.  I can’t hear someone who is whispering to me unless I am still and listening.