Chill Out and Listen
Note: This post is an article I wrote for The Riches of His Glory, a devotional book for the Singles Department at Hermitage Hills Baptist Church.
For I desire loyalty and not sacrifice, the knowledge of God rather than burnt offerings. – Hosea 6:6
Something funny occurred to me over the course of today: God has a sense of irony that puts Jane Austen to shame. This realization started this morning when I sat down to write this devotional. I had a busy day planned, so I skipped my daily quiet time so I could finish it and get working.
Guess what? Nothing happened. I could not get a single word onto the page. I finally gave up and went to work feeling rather discouraged. I mean, I prayed that God would give me some inspiration! Where was He?
Well, things didn’t go well at work, either. I finally became so frustrated with everything that I locked myself in my office and prayed. Hard. I realized that nothing had worked all day because I had chosen to skip my quiet time with God. He wanted me to read, so I asked where. Mark, He said. “OK, God, Mark is a big book, where in Mark?” Chapter 9. Go. Now.
So I did…and my jaw hit the floor. Mark 9 happens to be the story where Jesus takes Peter, James, and John to a mountain to have a little chat with Elijah and Moses. Peter, always one to speak before thinking, jumped up and suggested that they build three tabernacles right there in honor of them. He was just so excited he could not wait to do something! But wait, read verse 7: “A cloud appeared, overshadowing them, and a voice came from the cloud: This is My beloved Son; listen to Him!”
Wow. God had to come down here in a cloud and tell Peter to chill out and listen. How often do we get so busy doing “things” that we forget to stop talking and listen? Not just worldly things, either. Sometimes “Christian” things like writing a devotional can get in the way of your communication with God. We can get so wrapped up in “doing” that we forget that God just wants us to love Him and get to know Him.
After reading that passage, I knew exactly what God wanted me to say in this little lesson. As you go through this week, do not forget to spend time with God and get to know Him. Do not get caught up in doing…just sit down and listen to what He has to say. I promise, it is exactly what you need to hear.
One Response to “Chill Out and Listen”
It’s true isn’t it? Looking back at my life, I can easily see how often I better connected with God when I was quiet and patient then when I was raging.
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