“The very words I have spoken to you are spirit and life” (John 6: 63). They are not judged by human understanding. They are not spoken to impress others, but to be heard in silence and received with all humility and deep love.
Watkins, James (2016-01-12). The Imitation of Christ: Classic Devotions in Today’s Language (Kindle Locations 605-607). Worthy Publishing. Kindle Edition.
We make hearing the voice of God a tremendously difficult spiritual exercise requiring years of monastery life to master. Certainly being completely comfortable in hearing God is a lifetime experience. The first step is pretty easy: Just shut up. I guess that’s a lot easier in a monastery.
Our failure to hear most things, including the voice of God, is founded in our failure to stop talking. I remember some years ago I was at an organizational meeting of a Kairos weekend. One of the newbies was going on and on about how he didn’t know if he would be able to talk to the inmates. I advised him to “Just shut up.” He kept on talking. I advised him again. He kept on talking. My comrades who had also done the ministry for years knew what I was saying but were a bit uncomfortable with my bluntness and his failure to get the message. Eventually he shut up and never returned to the ministry. I guess I won the battle but lost the war.
Generally we are not great listeners. We are uncomfortable with listening. When others are speaking we aren’t absorbing; we are usually planning our response. There is something that makes us think that the sound of our own voices is superior to every other noise. We know that what we have to say is so much better and wiser than what we are hearing.
If you want to be popular and thought to be a great and wise conversationalist, just shut up. Giving others the floor and feeding their own love of their own voices will make you a conversationalist superstar. People will tell others how they love talking to you. Why? Because you listen.
It’s really no different with God, except that what He has to say is much more important and wiser. Why do we think prayer is about us talking? Why can’t we pray quietly, listening not talking. We, too, can be great listeners and followers of the word of GOD, if we will just SHUT UP.
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