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We are all bombarded with sounds. On any given day we hear lawnmowers, 24-hour news, housemates, podcasts, airplanes, cars, diesel trucks, babies crying, dogs barking as well as our own voice inside of our head! Do you hear God speaking in the midst? Probably not. It takes intentional steps to find a quiet room, close the door, read your Bible and listen for God. And even more intentionality is needed to leave the phone on the other side of the door!

Making time to create intentional quiet is a good place to hear God’s voice.

Recently, I have been reading the book of Ezekiel. I don’t pretend to understand everything in this challenging book of Ezekiel, but God’s character, His ways and heart, are still on display. This morning, I read about an encounter Ezekiel had with God. Ezekiel 3:10 says, “He said to me, Son of man, listen carefully and take to heart all the words I speak to you.”

God spoke to Ezekiel. And what did God say to Ezekiel? “Listen and take heart.” God really wanted Ezekiel to hear Him!

The Webster dictionary defines listen as: to hear with thoughtful attention; to be alert in order to catch an expected sound.

Do you give thoughtful attention to what you read in the Bible? Do you expect to hear God speak to you? Is it fair to say God expects us to hear Him? Are you alert, longing to catch what He says to you?

As you sit in the quiet and reflect on God’s written words you may not hear God audibly, but something happens. You catch His heart. You get a glimpse of what is important to Him. In the same way that you do when reading a letter from someone or talking to someone across the table.  Written or audible words help us catch the heart of another. This little verse leads me to believe that God not only speaks to us, but God strongly desires for you and me to listen to Him, to hear Him.   

Once we spend time reading God’s word, then comes the opportunity to ponder what He said and return dialog with Him. It is your turn to tell God what is happening in your life and how you feel about it. Let Him catch your heart. That is what an authentic, fresh and growing relationship consists of; give and take. Prayer is not as elusive as we sometimes make it.

The next verse nearly jumped off the pages. “Go now to your countrymen in exile and speak to them. Say to them, ‘This is what the Sovereign LORD says, whether they listen or fail to listen.” Ezekiel 3: 11

Go now. God now and speak. Go and speak about what your God says to you in the Bible. Once again, my heart is taken back, and I am enamored with God! It appears He wants us to listen so that we know how to act and respond in the world in which we live. These verses encourage me to talk to others about my God, the God of the Bible.

I do not have people in my life who are in exile. But maybe some of you are in situations you do not want to be in, and it feels as if you have been thrown into exile. Perhaps you or someone you love feels confused, scared and out of sorts because of a diagnosis, singleness, divorce, wayward child, a disheartening marriage, family relations, loneliness, betrayal, work relations or financial stress. These circumstances of life can feel as though one has been thrown into exile. Undesired and stressful circumstances can feel like you are living in a foreign country, where very little seems familiar.

So today, as I take God’s words to heart, I will go now, pick up my pen and speak to you. Our Sovereign LORD wants to speak to you. He wants you to really hear Him. He desires for you to take His words to heart. Are you intentionally making quiet around you so that you can listen carefully? When was your last encounter with God? When was your last transparent conversation with God? When was the last time you sat in the quiet with God?

Carving out and spending time in the quiet has a way of cultivating our mind and spirit, so that we are able to hear well. Quiet provides the perfect atmosphere to break up and unwrap the hard and protected ground of the heart. A soft disposition of the heart is like loose, tilled soil that easily slips and falls through your fingers on a warm, sunny day. A soft and vulnerable heart has the capability to catch God’s heart.

Truly, quiet time spent reading the Bible provides clarity of who God is. Clarity breeds courage to live out our faith in front of God, ourselves and others. As we get to know our God, we take comfort in His presence, even if we are living in exile; in the foreign lands we find ourselves.

The book of Ezekiel has reminded me that the God of the Bible speaks to you and me, fellow Christian. We are His people! As a blogger who just took a sabbatical, I am taking this to heart. I did not hear God audibly, but the verses I read today confirm my decision to share my thoughts about the God of the Bible. Even if nobody reads it, my heart cannot be quiet about this beautiful God I belong to and serve. Lauren Daigle’s song, “I’m speechless but I can’t keep quiet,” mirrors my heart. There are many who write more eloquently than me, but I chose to write today, to tell you that our God speaks to His people. And He really wants you to catch His heart.

I’ve missed sharing what I am learning and relearning in the quiet with my God. It’s good to be back.

He is near,

Lynn

Lynn Jackson
CO-Founder
Thrive Leadership Foundation
journeylynn@gmail.com