Are we listening?

"In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God." (John 1:1)

I've been reading this great A.W. Tozer book, The Pursuit of God, and this is what he writes regarding this verse from John's Gospel:

"A word is a medium by which thoughts are expressed, and the application of the term to the eternal Son leads us to believe that self-expression is inherent in the Godhead, that God is forever seeking to speak Himself out to His creation. The whole Bible supports this idea. God is speaking. Not God spoke, but God is speaking. He is, by His nature, continuously articulate. His fills the world with His speaking voice" (69).

If we really believe this to be true, that God is continuously expressing himself to his creation; continually speaking and communicating to us… the question then becomes: Are we listening?

“Do you hear Lady Wisdom calling? She’s taken her stand at First and Main, at the busiest intersection. Right in the city square where the traffic is thickest, she shouts, “You—I’m talking to all of you, everyone out here on the streets! Don’t miss a word of this—I’m telling you how to live well, I’m telling you how to live at your best.” -see Proverbs 8 (The Message)

For the ancient Hebrews, the Voice of God, calling out to his creation, was often referred to as Wisdom, or “Lady Wisdom” as the Message rightly calls it (in Hebrew it’s the feminine word "Hokhma"). Proverbs 8 paints the picture of God, personal and passionate, searching for the best way to grab the attention of the people he loves; calling out with words that will direct our living in richly-satisfying ways. Are we listening?

Yesterday in Sunday School we shared, in as practical a fashion as possible, things that help us to listen to God. Here are the ones that I remember. Can you think of others?

• reducing the number of outward distractions
• using “triggers” (common, everyday kinds of experiences that trigger our awareness that God is Present with us)
• surrounding ourselves with the beauty of God’s creation
• prayerfully reading scripture
• for some, it is helpful to find places within our “comfort zone” so that the anxiety of being outside of our comfort zone doesn’t distract
• others find it helpful, at times, to intentionally move outside of our “comfort zone” with the hopes that we might be confronted with something that we might have been oblivious too otherwise (Mexico mission trips are one example)

Can you think of other things that make it easier for you to be attentive to God’s Voice? Share.

Whenever I hear a quote from Mother Theresa, I pay attention. I suppose I am most attentive to the words of Jesus in scripture for the same reason: their lives so beautifully, creatively, and faithfully expressed the words that came out of their mouths. So, I’ll close with a quote from Mother Theresa and another from Jesus.

“The more we receive in silent prayer, the more we can give in our active life. We need silence to be able to touch souls. The essential thing is not what we say, but what God says to us and through us. All our words will be useless unless they come from within.” –Mother Theresa

“The words I have spoken to you are spirit and they are life.” -Jesus