I pray that God will enable me to become a good listener. I must understand that God does not speak to me in the storm, the earthquake, or the fire, but in the “still small voice” (1 Kings 19:9–12, KJV). That is another way of saying that God does not speak to me through circumstances or through others unless there is an inner confirmation and explanation of what comes from the outside. Eli, the old priest, was wise enough to know that God’s will for Samuel, his aide, had to come directly from God to Samuel: “Speak, Lord, for Thy servant is listening” (1 Samuel 3:9).
Today’s complex life is the deadliest enemy of listening. The result of our complexity is fragmentation, thinness, and the inability to concentrate or become deep about anything. Satan is the happiest heir of our technological age, and he enjoys slapping us about like a handball. I must resist him by deliberately choosing essentials and rejecting the gadfly activities that render me ineffective.
How do I learn to be a good listener to God? I must begin by giving Him time and attention. That is the crucial part of the battle. I must reject the siren calls that tell me to be everything to everybody, and simply concentrate on God. Next I must develop a sense of awe and reverence for God, which is a natural preparation for silence, which in turn is essential to proper listening. Once I develop an ear for God, I will be able to hear Him even in crowds and, as Brother Lawrence says, “Go forward even in sleep.”
Listening to God is difficult to master, but the results will be beyond my greatest longings. He says, “Listen carefully to Me, and eat what is good, and delight yourself in abundance” (Isaiah 55:2). God knows that listening is but the first step of a process that ends in my eternal good.
“I will stand on my guard post and station myself on the rampart; and I will keep watch to see what He will speak to me, and how I may reply when I am reproved” (Habakkuk 2:1).
Daily with the King 