Listen, God is Speaking!

You know, it is really hard for us to really sit down and listen to a normal lecture or a sermon in Church, how well are we in listening to God? Even if we quieten ourselves to listen to God, our inner conscience/mind will start wondering. Thinking of the shopping trip the next day, thinking of the share market, thinking of relationships and all other things. Even for me it is the same, when I start to listen to God, I will think about my subjects in STM, my sermons not completed, bible study not prepared, who to visit next.

We need a lot of discipline and encouragements if we are to really listen and hear God speaking to us. Thats why when we read the Bible there are lots of emphasis to hear what God had said. In the New Testament, our Lord Jesus Christ repeatedly told His disciples to use their ears to hear. Later on in Mark 4, we hear Christ again say, "If any man have ears to hear, let Him hear" (Mark 4:23). Then He said, "Consider carefully what you hear. With the measure you use, it will be measured to you—and even more." Our Lord is actually telling us, to be the a spiritual receiving stations, hearing and responding to the voice of God.

So how well do you hear? Some animals can hear much better than people. And people can hear better than some animals. An alligator can hear only one-fifth as well as man, a minnow one-fourth, and a frog only one-half. Yet a dog can hear twice as well as man, a cat two and one-half times, and bats five times as well.

God is always inviting His people to hear Him. In the Old Testament, God spoke through Moses to encourage the people to hear (Deut. 31:11-13). In Isaiah 55:3, God spoke through Isaiah to encourage the people to hear. Jesus repeatedly encourage His disciples to use their ears to gear and to heed the message of God. Even in Revelations, Christ encouraged the churches of Asia Minor to hear the message that He was proclaiming to them.

When God speaks, let us discipline ourselves to not think of the things of the world and our problems but ask the Spirit to help us to focus all our attention on God. Let us give him the most careful and reverent attention. It is not merely enough to hear what God says; we must heed what he says. He who hears and heeds the voice of the Lord will find strength and stability for living (Matt 7:24-27).