SUNDAY—listen to God

“Listening is a creative force that transforms relationships. Listening is a sacred art. It is an awareness that not only are we present to each other, we are present to something that is spiritual, holy, sacred.”

From “Practicing the Sacred Art of Listening” by Kay Lindahl; (www.sacredlistening.com) Reprinted with permission.

God “talks” to us in many “languages”! He also uses our body (“gut feelings”); instincts; intuition; inspiration; angels who appear in our lives as people or in dreams; a sense of knowing; books we read; ads we see; evangelists or speakers we watch; children; life dramas; misfortunes and the list goes on. He has to be this flexible because few of us ever stop to listen directly to Him!

I remember going to church one day, about a year after I had moved to Dallas from Australia. The pastor at Highland Park United Methodist Church, Mark Craig, had given another brilliant sermon. And I was once again crying! I didn’t understand why this happened every time I went to this church. I would be perfectly okay before I went in, and within minutes, I would start to cry.

It was a different sort of crying from the usual. Tears would stream out of my eyes, but I wasn’t crying like I do if I am upset. I started to think there was something wrong with me! That perhaps I was much more lonely than I thought (do you know that I just mistyped, “I was much more lovely than I thought.” Was it a slip—or was God talking to me just then? Ha ha!)

Well after a while, I realized that many times when I went into that church, a feeling of love overwhelmed me. And I didn’t know anyone in this congregation, and they did not seem particularly welcoming. It dawned on me that this was God’s love I was feeling and I was crying with joy. (Duh. It takes some of us longer than others!)

Once I realized that, I felt more sane. I was also told recently that the Holy Spirit can move people to laughter, dancing or tears—cleansing tears, but that was a first for me.

But back to the day I was talking about. This particular day, I was sobbing, not just crying. I cried all the way home and thought, “What is wrong with me?”. I wondered if I should read the Bible when I arrived home to see if there were any clues in it, because I had no idea what was wrong! (This was pretty unusual, as I did not read the Bible much then either.)

Once home, I could not read as the tears were blurring my vision so badly. So I just had to sit there. (God was moving in his mysterious ways!) As I sat, I became aware of a feeling of being overwhelmed. I knew I had some big task to do, but I didn’t know what it was, and I was sure I was inadequate for it, whatever it was!

After waking up to that, it was as if there was a guardian angel or some sense of a being, sitting and smiling benignly at me. I could not see or hear it, but I could sense it. I could sense the smile, and the love that was like that of an indulgent and patient parent, and I “heard” (but really sensed), “Do you think God would give you a task to do and not give you all the skills or the help you needed to do it?”

That was it. I stopped crying instantly. I smiled and thought, “of course not!” I continued with my day feeling energised!

Have you ever had an experience with a similar result? I bet God tries to touch us all the time, and we don’t stop long enough to hear him unless we are facing a crisis.

Take time to pray and to listen to God. Ask him what he wants you to do. What is his will for you? Are you on the right path? Importantly, ask him how you can be a blessing to others. Ask him to help you—and pray with joyful expectation. God hears every prayer, and sends blessings and grace—so stay open and watch for the miracles. Be patient with a heart full of hope that the answer will come when the timing is perfect—for you—even though it might not look like it right now.

Always have the intent in your heart to be doing what God wants of you. Ask, “What do you need God? What can I do for you today?”

Pray all the time, but part of prayer is “listening” to the answers He sends you. They may be in things you see or pass by, strangers you meet, your friends or family—you never know where the answer will come from so stay awake; be conscious; expect to find the answer somewhere.

He always answers. Always.

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