It only stands to reason that if Jesus loves us so much, He wants to have a relationship with us. The problem is the voices and sounds of this world are so loud they drowned out his voice. We listen to the news in the morning. We hear the traffic on the way to work. There are many conversations in our lunch room or restaurants. Our children try to talk over each other to be heard and at other times we just want some background noise! There is very little "quiet time in our day. But it is necessary to seek the Lord.
There is a story in I Kings 19 that tells of a time when the prophet Elijah was seeking God. God told Elijah to stand on a mountain before the Him. The Lord passed by and there was a mighty wind, but the Lord was not in the wind. Then there was an earthquake, but the Lord was not in the earthquake. After the earthquake there was a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire. But after the fire a still small voice.
First we need to be quiet:
* Psalms 46:10 “Be still, and know that I am God! I will be honored by every nation. I will be honored throughout the world.”
*Ecclesiastes 9:17 Better to hear the quiet words of a wise person than the shouts of a foolish king.
We need to listen:
Proverbs 2:1My child, listen to what I say and treasure my commands.
We need to listen carefully with our full attention. Jesus had twelve disciples but one is referred to as being, "the disciple whom Jesus loved." Why did Jesus love him so much? He loved John because John leaned on Jesus. He wanted to hear every thing that Jesus said. Can you just imagine that? John listened to Jesus voice resounding in His chest. He heard Him take a breath. John heard Jesus' heart beating!*
Then it's our turn:
Jeremiah 33:3 ‘Call to Me, and I will answer you, and show you great and mighty things, which you do not know.’ Psalms 88:2 Now hear my prayer; listen to my cry.
And then it's His turn again:
God gives us the assurance that He wants to spend time with us, hears our prayers and wants to answer them.
Revelations 3:20 “Look! I stand at the door and knock. If you hear my voice and open the door, I will come in, and we will share a meal together as friends
I John 5:14 This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us.
Prayer: Father help us to find time to be quiet and listen to your voice. Help us to respond to your word and have the assurance that you hear our prayers and will answer them if we ask according to your will, knowing you have a good plan for us.
* John 13:23
| Now there was leaning on Jesus’ bosom one of His disciples, whom Jesus loved. |
*Jeremiah 29:11
For I know the plans I have for you,” says the LORD. “They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope.
* I Kings 19:11-12
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