Thursday, March 15, 2012

Listen to my voice;
then I will be your God and you shall be my people.

Jeremiah 7:23

     Shhhhh,listen........"that lady at the grocercy store was so rude, whata".....Shhhhh, listen......."I'd really like to move those plants out front so they get more sunlight".......Shhhhh, listen......"I'm so busy, I don't have time for".........Shhhhh, listen......."God, I got a great idea".........Shhhhh, listen.  Hear my voice, child.  ......."but, God".......Shhhhh, listen.  I love you, child of mine.  "how could you love"..... Shhhhh, listen.  You are a gift, a treasure.  I want you home resting in me.  "But I don't deserve"......Shhhhh,  listen.  I love you, I forgive you, I want you with me, I need you to do something for me.  "What could you need me for?"  Listen, child, hear my voice, I will tell you.

     The world is loud, so are our brains.  We think and think and think.  We come up with plans - good ones even!  We worry, organize and do, do, do.  We try to cram 48 hours worth in a 24 hour day.  We pray our prayers and move on to the next thing on the list.  It's not healthy and it's not what God has in mind.  God is asking for something different.  God is asking for time to be heard.  Relationships are a two-way street; and our relationship with God is no different.   Yes, we offer God our petitions, pray for those we love and the world in which we live.  We give thanks for the gifts we've been so richly given and even share our sorrows.  But, we also need to give time for God to speak and we need to listen.

     Setting aside time in our day to be still is difficult.  It can become, however, be the most rewarding time of the day, so let's not look at it as a chore, but as a gift.  As we read Scripture and other spiritual readings and turn off our brains, we hear and feel the love of our Creator.  We learn the way to live through Jesus.  We learn to see how the Holy Spirit moves in our lives.  We learn to hear the voice of God.  As we hear the words of God, we will grow in faith and trust.  As we grow in faith and trust, we will begin to see how God is working in our world and desire to be apart of that journey.  As we begin that journey of walking with God, we will become the voice of God in the world.  As we become the voice of God in the world, and the world will indeed, be transformed.

Prayer:  God of love and faithfulness, we want to hear your voice, we want to be your voice in the world.  Help us this day to quiet our minds and spend time resting in your grace.  Help us to open our hearts and our ears so that we may hear your voice above all else.