An Active, Silent Art

 I am not a scholar of anything in particular, but one thing I can do most of the time is learn new things, and that is saying a lot, as sometimes I can be quite distracted, depending on the situation.  I may not remember everything I've learned, but if something is important, my brain seems to lock that in like a laser. Sometimes when my brain seems to be on vacation, my spirit will quiet me, and remind me of something I need to know. This is the result of slowing down and listening to the still, small voice in me that is the Holy Spirit of God. It is being open to the One who knows all. This requires not being caught up in the noise of the world 24/7. I have to turn off all devices, open up my Bible, or commit my time to God and nothing else. But what I've learned is that my time needs to be committed to God 24/7, because if not, the world is jealous and sneaky for that time. If we put God first, He will help us keep the world in its rightful place. 1 John 2:15 Do not love the world or anything in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in Him. For everything in the world—the cravings of sinful, the lust of his eyes and the boasting of what he has and does—comes not from the Father but from the world. The world and its desires pass away, but the man who does the will of God lives forever.  There are a lot of enticing things in this world. Many of them are in my house! But learning to hear for God's voice requires a bit of separation from those things and places. 

1 Kings 19: 10-13  And the word of the LORD came to him: "What are you doing here, Elijah?" He replied, "I have been very zealous for the Lord God Almighty. The Israelites have rejected your covenant, broken down your altars, and put your prophets to death with the sword. I am the only one left, and now they are trying to kill me too." The Lord said, "Go out and stand on the mountain in the presence of the Lord, for the LORD is about to pass by." Then a great and powerful wind tore the mountains apart and shattered the rocks before the LORD, but the Lord was not in the wind. After the wind there was an earthquake, but the Lord was not in the earthquake. After the earthquake came a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire. And after the fire came a gentle whisper. When Elijah heard it, he pulled his cloak over his face, and went out and stood at the mouth of the cave. Then a voice said to him, "What are you doing here, Elijah?"

How did Elijah know that the gentle whisper he heard was God? God's voice didn't come to him in a loud, thundering crash, but in a soft whisper, because Elijah's heart was ready—full of faith and humbled while waiting to hear for the Lord's voice. He shut out all the chaotic noise around him, came out, and waited. The other thing I caught was that he felt he was the only one left still fighting the cause, though that wasn't actually true. How often do we feel that we are the only ones who still care about something in this world or still fighting for something, when that can't possibly be the case? He was starting to go down the rabbit hole of self-pity, as we often do. Could a little bit of arrogance or ego keep us from hearing God's voice? That part of us that thinks "if we don't do it, no one else will?" or think it's our job to save people or situations instead of God's? While this is a trust issue, it's also a listening issue.

 Not listening to God is definitely a lack of trust in what He has already told us He will do. His Word is full of His Truth and wisdom, and yet we still think it's up to us to fix everything without Him. It's foolishness, to say the least. He may have been whispering to us the whole time, but if we're busy fixing or fixating, we are not in a humble, faith-filled position in which to hear. Jeremiah 25:7 "But you did not listen to me," declares the LORD, and you have provoked me with what your hands have made, and you have brought harm to yourselves." I could write a whole post about the foolish things I've said and done that I should have consulted the Lord about first! In my young arrogance, I often proceeded without waiting to listen, and it always resulted in a self-created mess. Then–oh God, help me get out of this one. Kind of silly to go about it backwards that way. How many times do we just spout off or do something impulsive without really consulting with God? He is there for our guidance. The wise thing for us to do is get quiet, seek, ask, and listen for it. The peace He will return in that wait is worth it. How often do we struggle because we think we are the ones that have to come up with the solution to some big thing? Hebrews 6:16-17 Men swear by someone greater than themselves, and the oath confirms what was said and puts an end to all argument. Because God wanted to make the unchanging nature of his purpose very clear to the heirs of what was promised, he confirmed it with an oath. This is the only assurance I need. God assured me with the confirmation of His own oath in His own name. His promises are unchanging and unwavering. I need no further proof that I am in good hands. My ideas are not better than His.

As people, we don't all have the same propensity to pay attention and we don't all have the ability to give ourselves to always truly listen to what another person is saying. Maybe the problem with not listening, in general, is that when we don't listen to anyone, we also don't realize we may be fighting for or agreeing on the same things. How can we listen to the still, small voice of God when we can't even listen to the voices of the close people around us? 

Listening is an art that requires attention over talent, spirit over ego, others over self. -Dean Jackson

Have you ever been speaking to a person or a group of people, and suddenly you realize no one is paying any attention to you? Well, It depends on what you're talking about sometimes. I do think there are some topics that can be off-putting among people, especially in these volatile times.  But even then, a good listener with a gracious reply can be of benefit to a "gong-show worthy" comment. Proverbs 15:1 A gentle answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger.  People are great talkers and prolific social media posters about everything under the sun. Everyone has something to say—good or bad—and we can be oblivious of talking over others, but when it comes to actively listening, the ears seem to be boarded up sometimes. We all know the old saying, "God gave us two ears and one mouth for a reason!" Proverbs 29:20 Do you see a man who speaks in haste? There is more hope for a fool than him. Oh no. So a fool is going to get a break before someone who speaks impulsively. We could all be in trouble here! 

How offended we become when people dismiss us is only a fraction of how frustrated God must be when we blatantly ignore pretty much everything He says. How must He feel when one is speaking His Word to another, and they scoff, mock, change the subject, or tune out entirely? We are arrogant, ego-driven humans, but God is jealous. He wants our attention on Him at all times. Exodus 20:4-6 You shall not make for yourself an idol in the form of anything in heaven above or on the earth beneath or in the waters below. You shall not bow down to them or worship them; for I, the LORD your God, am a jealous God. God wants us all to turn to Him and be saved, and not worship other things (gods) for our identity and security, such as entertainment, careers, money, fame, other people, or any other worldly pleasures that control our energy or minds. God knew these things would be pleasurable to us, but did not want us to consider them above Him as the center of our lives. That is when the things of the world become our gods, and the still, small voice of God is hidden in the volcano, the wind, and the earthquake in all that chaos. 

Listening is an active, but silent art, and yes, it does require putting the needs of others above yourself. Romans 12:9 Love must be sincere. Hate what is evil; cling to what is good. Be devoted to one another in brotherly love. Honor one another above yourselves. Listening is a big part of love, isn't it? We all want to be heard. It's a big part of needing to be understood, and when we feel understood, we feel loved. I think if we want to show love to someone, we should listen. God loves us, and He listens, even though He has so much more He could tell us in that moment, and He knows more than any of us and can shut all of us "experts" up! Malachi 3:16 Then those who feared the LORD talked with each other, and the LORD listened and heard. A scroll of remembrance was written in his presence concerning those who feared the LORD and honored his name. He listens and hears us! If God listens and hears us, then we know he completely understands us too. We who honor Him are His treasured possessions. Maybe the solution to some of these volatile problems is that we do more talking to God and waiting for His still, small voice. The kind of peace we keep talking about and searching for in this world may just start growing in our own hearts and spreading to everyone else. Just a thought.