Dan Holland asks if we listen closely enough
During my Bible reading the other day, this verse leapt out at me and stayed with me,
The voice of the Lord makes the deer give birth, (Psalm 29 v9a)
This is so poetical and got me meditating about something very close to my heart – hearing God. He is continually speaking into the world, but how much is He listened to? Some of His most majestic words and deeds are spoken in obscurity, like to the deer, and unappreciated even by his followers. Other times they are obvious to anyone who is willing to engage. As below, another metaphor from nature:
His voice was like the roar of rushing waters, (Ez 43 v2)
It’s impossible to stand next to a babbling brook or raging river and not hear the many sounds the water makes. God speaks in manifold ways in; nature, relationships, worship, scripture and through each other, to name just a few. But I know how easily I get distracted and expect God to communicate with me just like the previous time, even though I know He doesn’t work formulaically.
I earnestly want to hear God more; perhaps this is also true for most people reading this reflection. How can we make ourselves more available and tuned in to God’s voice? We have to become good listeners, a rare skill in our busy and self-focused modern world.
Perhaps we should listen more for God’s ‘fatherly voice’. Just as Samuel mistook God’s voice for Eli’s; (Eli was a ‘spiritual’ father for him), so God’s voice is as a father to us. We must be willing to let go of other things, however good they are, to make more space for Him. When like Jesus we literally feed on His words (John 4 v32) we prioritise His voice above everything else. This verse is a great starting point:
be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry, (James 1 v 19b)
Thought provoking! Prayer provoking!
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Daniel Holland is a UK missionary with Through Faith Missions. He wrote “Through The Tunnel – Free at Last” published by PUSH Publishing, as his personal testimony. His second book “Prophetic Evangelism – Kingdom Exploits in the Risk Zone” was published January 2021, via Christian Publications International: https://christian-publications-int.com/PropheticEvangelism.html
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Here is a link to a Prophecy Today review of Dan’s book: https://prophecytoday.uk/study/resources/item/2076-review-prophetic-evangelism.html
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