Listen

I've been known to say that you have two ears and one mouth, and they should be used in that proportion.

Sometimes in my life, I reverse this, and I talk a lot more than I listen. I'm a communicator. I write, I talk, I sing. But while these things can be good, there are definitely times when it's more beneficial to stop talking, and spend more time listening.

I sometimes forget this, particularly in the area of prayer. I sometimes forget this isn't a time for monologue, but dialogue. It's not all about me doing the talking. Sometimes God wants to say something to me, but can't get a word in edgewise because I'm too busy doing all the talking.

I've posted a song here on my blog page, (if you're reading this on Facebook, at the bottom of the page, click the link which takes you to the original post), which came to my heart as I was contemplating this. It's a song I've sung, (it's not me on the recording though), and it served to remind me of the precious gift of listening. There is a line in the song which says, "the last thing I need is to be heard, but to hear what You would say." Wow, how poignant is that?

God definitely wants us to talk to Him. He wants us to verbalize our praise and our need for Him. But there are times when He wants to talk to us, and we need to stop and listen. We need to "be still and know" that He is God (Psalm 46:10). I'm in one of those moments when it is time for me to stop and listen. I need God to alter some things in me, and it's not going to come by me talking, but by listening and obeying. I need to focus on who He is, and who I am in Him, not where I've been and what I've gone through.

I encourage you to listen to this song. Whether you've heard it before or not, I think the message is timeless and serves as a powerful reminder that God wants to speak to us gently. When we don't listen, sometimes He has to get our attention through circumstances...and that's rarely pleasant or easy.