Episode 27: Help! I Can't Hear You, God.
No Christian would argue with the Apostle Paul’s invitation to “pray without ceasing…” But to pray without ever stopping to listen is like whistling in the wind. Often, we sigh thinking, “I just don’t hear from God,” when the real issue isn’t God being silent, but us not knowing how to listen.
Listening has a posture. It’s an intentional stance that ushers in the ability to hear from God. Jesus had a strategy for listening:
Be Still. Be Open. Be Brave.
In Matthew 14: 13-16 we see an example of Jesus teaching people to Be Still. After a long day of healing and miracles, the disciples told Jesus to send the people away so they could get some food. Jesus said, “They don’t need to go away, you give them something to eat.” Floundering, they offered Jesus the fish and loaves they had, and He prepared to do a miracle. But before he did, he ordered the people to sit down in the grass. If they hadn’t sat down, they would have missed the moment that He was creating for their nourishment.
So often we miss hearing from God because we’re so busy talking, mulling around, worrying, and looking right past Jesus. The people had to be in a listening posture to receive what Jesus had for them. In order to have our Spirit’s fed, we must:
STOP: Sit down or quiet yourself to hear.
FOCUS: Concentrate on verses of Scripture or concepts in the Bible that teach you, you can’t grow if you don’t know.
RECEIVE: Make what you hear yours. Believe it and receive it as a gift just for you.
To Be Open, we must be willing to accept what God wants to do or say, even if we don’t understand. In Mark 7:32-35 we see a deaf man brought to Jesus for healing. Jesus takes the man away by himself and puts His fingers in his ears. He then spits on his finger and puts the saliva on the tongue of the man. Umm… gross! What a strange thing to do…yet the man allows it. Jesus cries out “Ephphata,” which means “be opened,” as He places Holy Spit carrying his own DNA into the mouth of this man. Instantly, his ears and speech were healed.
Our ears are prone to pick up chatter and noise, and our speech can talk us into some negative places. If we stay open to what Jesus can do, we’ll hear His words and watch the miracle of His touch over how we listen and speak.
Psalm 23 shows us how to Be Brave when it states, “He will prepare a table for you in the presence of your enemies.” Who are our enemies? They may look like opposition to your family, troubled relationships, addiction, procrastination, dull neglect, or a loss of dreams and hope. God sets a table for us right in the middle of this, and His presence drowns out the other noise we hear. We only need to sit bravely as He does the preparing.
Henri Nouwen once wrote: “The Latin word surdus, which is where our English word absurd is taken—means deaf. To be deaf to God is to live in absurdity. The English word for obedient comes from the Latin word audire—which means listening…being all ears.”
So, we encourage you to take some time this week to be still, be open, and be brave. Send us a DM on any of our social media platforms @gustyfaithpodcast and let us know what God spoke to you!
Have thoughts or questions about today’s episode? Message us or leave a comment below.