Are you listening to God's voice?

Proverbs 1:33  (ESV)

But whoever listens to me will dwell secure

    and will be at ease, without dread of disaster.

If you listen to God and follow what God says, you will not have to fear.

We all listen to something, and sometimes we even act like we're listening to someone when we really aren't. In this passage, listening is being pointed out as an important quality to have, especially listening to God. I know you're saying, well, God doesn't speak to me, but is that really true? Or, is the truth that God is speaking to you all the time but you never take the time to stop, unplug (from the mp3, podcast, DVD, TV. etc.) and listen for God? It's like having a two-way radio like truck drivers use that has many different channels. God is talking on Channel 3, but you're on every other channel listening to your favorite songs, watching your favorite shows, or talking to a friend. But, it's clear here that if we just listen to God then we would live in safety, be at ease, and wouldn't have to fear any harm. In order for these things to happen, we must take time to listen to God, not just hear, but, listen. This means we are taking in what God is saying and processing it. Once you are "tuned in" to God, you will hear from Him in many different ways. You may hear God speak to you audibly, send you messages through the TV, or even highway billboards. God may also speak inside where you can "hear" him in your spirit. You will know God is speaking to you in this manner when everybody and everything else is saying the total opposite of what God is saying to you.

Today try breaking away from everything else and focus on listening to God. Start right now by turning things off that make noise and sit quietly. Read a passage of scripture, and then just listen to hear what God has to share. What you will hear is probably what you've been waiting for, but couldn't hear because your world has been too loud.

Dear Lord, help us turn everything around us that makes noise down and turn You up so we can hear You speaking to us. In the Name of Jesus, Amen.

Listening

John 11:25-26 (NIV)

25 Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. The one who believes in me will live, even though they die; 26 and whoever lives by believing in me will never die. Do you believe this?”

Here is a story that comes from India, somewhere around the 1850s.

The location was the home of the British Governor-General who had invited the important folks of the British community to join him in celebrating the Queen's birthday.

While the adults were preoccupied with talk of matters political, the children were free to wander the grounds and play. Every once in a while one of the little ones would interrupt the adults with a question, an argument which needed to be settled, or a scraped knee which had to be comforted. That's why nobody paid much attention when a three-year-old wandered in with a prize in his hand.

Nobody paid much attention until someone noticed the child was holding a small, poisonous snake: a Russell's viper. The child's father, with as calm a voice as he could muster, said, "John, put that down right this minute."

Now John might have thought his father was just trying to spoil his fun. He could have run away clutching his treasure. He could have debated or negotiated his father's request. If he had pursued any of those alternatives, in all probability, he would have died.

Instead, John did as his loving father had asked. He set the snake down, and he lived.

It hardly needs to be said that the little boy is an excellent example for all of humanity. Like him, we also ought to listen to our loving Father as He speaks to us in Holy Writ, as He lays out the path for our salvation.

When our Father commands, "Leave this sin alone," we ought to take note. When He says, "This is My beloved Son, listen to Him," we ought to pay attention (see Matthew 17:5). When Jesus says, "Believe on Me and you will never die," we ought to be thankful and put all our hope of salvation in His nail-pierced hands.

Dear Lord, thank you for loving us enough to send Your Son to be our salvation. We pray for a new heart that is in harmony with Your will. Help us lead other to trust You before it is too late. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.

Are We Really Listening?

Psalm 17:6 (NIV)

I call on you, my God, for you will answer me;

    turn your ear to me and hear my prayer.

Two psychiatrists met at their 20th college reunion. One is vibrant, while the other looks withered and worried. "So what's your secret?" the older looking psychiatrist asked. "Listening to other people's problems every day, all day long, for years on end, has made an old man of me."

"So," replies the younger-looking one, "who listens?"

Unfortunately, that is too often a problem -- who listens? REALLY listens?

The story is told  of a 22-year-old electrician who went to Manhattan a few days after the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks. He wanted to volunteer his time, but discovered that his skills were not needed.

Joe may have helped in a way he never anticipated, for on the train home, he sat across from a weary firefighter covered in what appeared to be "ground zero" dirt and debris. Though he could see bits of rock in the man's hair and noticed that his hands were bloody, what shocked the young man most was the look in the firefighter's eyes. They appeared lifeless and dull.

Then the man began to talk and Joe listened. He talked about retrieving a shoe with a foot inside. Joe listened. He talked about cleaning debris from a face, then discovering that this person's body was gone. Joe listened. And as his listened, he did not flinch. He did not react in disgust. He did not judge. He did not interrupt. He just listened.

He listened as the firefighter lamented about the carnage everywhere and about shoes...there were so many shoes, he said. Everywhere...shoes.

Through it all Joe quietly held the man's attention and listened, which is exactly what the rescue worker needed at that moment. And because he listened, the man continued to speak. He talked his pain out, as much as possible. And Joe, for that time at least, helped him carry his unbelievably heavy burden.

That day Joe did not give blood, nor did he use his electrical skills to help with the relief effort. But he did one of the most important things a human can do for another. He gave a stunned and disheartened man his whole attention, and thereby immeasurably assisted in the work of setting the world right.

Dear Lord, we pray that we would really listen to those around us. Help us not just hear the words with our ears but help us hear with our heart. Use us today to listen to someone in need. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.

Is Your Heart Listening?

Matthew 13:13 (NIV)

This is why I speak to them in parables:

“Though seeing, they do not see;

    though hearing, they do not hear or understand.

A Swiss guy, looking for directions, pulls up at a bus stop where two Americans are waiting.

"Entschuldigung, koennen Sie Deutsch sprechen?" He says. The two Americans just stare at him.

"Excusez-moi, parlez vous Francais?" The two continue to stare.

"Parlare Italiano?" No response.

"Hablan ustedes Espanol?" Still nothing.

The Swiss guy drives off, extremely disgusted.

The first American turns to the second and says, "Y'know, maybe we should learn a foreign language...."

"Why?" Says the other, "That fellow knew four languages, and it didn't do him any good."

It's true. Knowing a lot of languages is no guarantee that you can communicate with someone (though it may increase your chances!). Even Jesus, the great communicator, found that there were people who couldn't understand what he was saying.

"Therefore I speak to them in parables, because seeing they do not see, and hearing they do not hear, nor do they understand...." (Matthew 13:13)

Why? It wasn't a problem of languages; it was a problem of the heart.

"For the hearts of this people have grown dull. Their ears are hard of hearing, and their eyes they have closed, lest they should see with their eyes and hear with their ears, lest they should understand with their hearts and turn, so that I should heal them." (Matthew 13:15)

Dear Lord,  there are times when we am slow to understand what You would have us to say and do. Though you speak clearly to us through your Word, our heart is not always receptive to what You have to say. Please open our so we may hear Your voice. In Jesus' Name, Amen.

Jesus Hears Us

Psalm 17:6 (NIV)

I call on you, my God, for you will answer me;

    turn your ear to me and hear my prayer.

Soon, it will be Monday, and with all the sounds and voices that talk at us and not to us, most of us are not too overjoyed about going back to work.

It wasn't that way for Thomas Edison and his wife. Most people know the great inventor was quite deaf. They don't know that when he was courting his wife, he taught her Morse code. In fact, Edison proposed to her by tapping out the request into her hand. She accepted in the same way. Throughout their marriage they frequently spoke to each other in code and, when they went out, Mrs. Edison would keep her husband abreast of the conversation by telegraphing the words to her husband.

Although we certainly appreciate the ability to hear, many of us still long for someone with whom we can be alone and share the thoughts of our souls.

It's sad so many people don't realize they have a God who is always inclined to listen to their deepest thoughts, their innermost feelings. We don't need to learn any special language or code to talk to Him. We don't have to worry about Him spilling our secrets. We don't even have to say the words out loud. All we need do is speak to Him and believe He will, because of His Son, our Intercessor, listen to us. Truly, we will never discover a human being who will be as attentive as our listening God. Throughout this week, I encourage you to talk to Him. Tap out the message of your heart and mind and believe, with gladness, knowing that He will, in Jesus, hear us.

Dear Lord, Thank You for not only listening to us, but for answering our prayers. Thanks You for Your grace that You pour upon us. In Jesus' Name. Amen.

Sheep Listen to My Voice.

John 10:27 (NIV)

My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me.

Millie, the lamb, began life in a most unusual way. Her mother, a frisky adventuresome ewe, somehow found her way into the straw mow -- an area above the cattle stalls. The mow was covered with thick layers of straw, hiding the opening used to scoop the straw down into the cattle stalls below. The ewe was not aware of the hidden opening and came crashing down to her death.

The farmer saw it happen, and knowing she was about to lamb, quickly took a sharp knife from his pocket and performed a cesarean birth. With large callused hands, he gently lifted out the tiny long-legged creature. Wiping her clean with fresh straw and tucking her into his jacket, he hurried up to the farmhouse to the lamb's temporary home in the warm kitchen. The feeding of the little orphan became the task of the farmer's four-year-old son. As the lamb, who became known as Millie, greedily tugged at the teat affixed to a pop bottle, the little boy would tell her about the happenings of his day, or his problems (if a four-year-old in a greatly-loved family setting experienced such a situation), and Millie came to know his voice.

As time went by, the baby lamb became a healthy ewe, and whenever the boy stood at the back door of the farmhouse and called, "Millie-e-e", the ewe would come running just as fast as she could up the lane leading to the farmhouse to stand beside the young lad. She might have been grazing at the far edge of the farm. It did not matter. It just seemed as if she were always listening for his voice. Other family members would call, but she never responded to their voices.

Jesus said that His sheep are constantly listening to His voice. The late General Albert Orsborn, of the Salvation Army, in one of his hymns, suggests a further depth and dimension to just "listening": listening with a readiness to serve Him. Remembering that we are His hands and feet in our world, let us be willing to obey His requests with hearts full of love for Him. On the surface, we might consider this plan impossible! Regardless, let us endeavor to be consciously aware of His voice, with the attitude of adventure, the closeness of companionship with our Savior, and the desire to be used in His service.

Dear Lord, Thank You for the example of obedience You showed in Your life. We pray that we would follow Your example and we would listen to Your voice and be obedient to the things You tell us. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.

Do You Hear What is Really Important?

Matthew 13:15-16 (NIV)

15 For this people’s heart has become calloused;

    they hardly hear with their ears,

    and they have closed their eyes.

Otherwise they might see with their eyes,

    hear with their ears,

    understand with their hearts

and turn, and I would heal them.’

16 But blessed are your eyes because they see, and your ears because they hear.

A Native American and his friend were in downtown New York City, walking near Times Square in Manhattan. It was during the noon lunch hour and the streets were filled with people. Cars were honking their horns, taxicabs were squealing around corners, sirens were wailing, and the sounds of the city were almost deafening. Suddenly, the Native American said, "I hear a cricket." 

His friend said, "What? You must be crazy. You couldn't possibly hear a cricket in all of this noise!"

"No, I'm sure of it," the Native American said, "I heard a cricket."

"That's crazy," said the friend. The Native American listened carefully for a moment, and then walked across the street to a big cement planter where some shrubs were growing. He looked into the bushes, beneath the branches, and sure enough, he located a small cricket. His friend was utterly amazed.

"That's incredible," said his friend. "You must have super- human ears!"

"No," said the Native American. "My ears are no different from yours. It all depends on what you're listening for." "But that can't be!" said the friend. "I could never hear a cricket in this noise."

"Yes, it's true," came the reply. "It depends on what is really important to you. Here, let me show you."

He reached into his pocket, pulled out a few coins, and discreetly dropped them on the sidewalk. And then, with the noise of the crowded street still blaring in their ears, they noticed every head within twenty feet turn and look to see if the money that tinkled on the pavement was theirs.

"See what I mean?" asked the Native American. "It all depends on what's important to you."

What's important to you? What do you listen for? Some people say that there is no God, and that He never speaks to us anymore. But perhaps they can't see or hear Him because they aren't listening for Him. They are living for themselves, not for God.

If you are in tune with God, you will be able to notice Him at work in your life and in the world. And you'll be able to hear Him when He Speaks.

Dear Lord, Help our ears be open to You today.  Help us get our priorities in the right place. Help us to listen. In Jesus’ Name, Amen. 

Are You Listening?

Psalm 111:2-5  (NIV)

2 Great are the works of the Lord;

    they are pondered by all who delight in them.

3 Glorious and majestic are his deeds,

    and his righteousness endures forever.

4 He has caused his wonders to be remembered;

    the Lord is gracious and compassionate.

5 He provides food for those who fear him;

    he remembers his covenant forever.

The young man had lost his job and didn't know which way to turn. So he went to see the old preacher.

Pacing about the preacher's study, the young man ranted about his problem. Finally he clenched his fist and shouted, "I've begged God to say something to help me. Tell me, Preacher, why doesn't God answer?"

The old preacher, who sat across the room, spoke something in reply -- something so hushed it was indistinguishable. The young man stepped across the room. "What did you say?" he asked.

The preacher repeated himself, but again in a tone as soft as a whisper. So the young man moved closer until he was leaning on the preacher's chair. "Sorry," he said. "I still didn't hear you." With their heads bent together, the old preacher spoke once more. "God sometimes whispers," he said, "so we will move closer to hear Him."

This time the young man heard and he understood.

We all want God's voice to thunder through the air with the answer to our problem. But God's is the still, small voice. . . the gentle whisper.

Perhaps there's a reason. Nothing draws human focus quite like a whisper. God's whisper means I must stop my ranting and move close to Him, until my head is bent together with His. And then, as I listen, I will find my answer. Better still, I find myself closer to God.

Author unknown. If anyone has a proprietary interest in this story please authenticate and I will be happy to credit, or remove, as the circumstances dictate.

In times of trouble and pain, we need to come to our Heavenly Father in prayer both for the answer and also to show the Lord our trust in Him. There is nothing impossible with the Lord. He is the answer and through Him shall all of our troubles cease. I encourage you to call upon the Lord today and speak to God not as a superficial being but speak to the Lord as a friend. He knows you better than you know yourself.

Dear Lord, we thank You for knowing us and knowing what is best  for us. Help us to always listen for Your whisper. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.

Listening or Waiting?

1 Kings 19:11-12  (NIV)

11 The Lord said, “Go out and stand on the mountain in the presence of the Lord, for the Lord is about to pass by.” Then a great and powerful wind tore the mountains apart and shattered the rocks before the Lord, but the Lord was not in the wind. After the wind there was an earthquake, but the Lord was not in the earthquake. 12 After the earthquake came a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire. And after the fire came a gentle whisper.

Back when the telegraph was the fastest method of long-distance communication, a young man applied for a job as a Morse Code operator. Answering an ad in the newspaper, he went to the office address that was listed.

When he arrived, he entered a large, busy office filled with noise and clatter, including the sound of the telegraph in the background. A sign on the receptionist's counter instructed job applicants to fill out a form and wait until they were summoned to enter the inner office.

The young man filled out his form and sat down with the seven other applicants in the waiting area. After a few minutes, the young man stood up, crossed the room to the door of the inner office, and walked right in.

Naturally the other applicants perked up, wondering what was going on. They muttered among themselves that they hadn't heard any summons yet.

They assumed that the young man who went into the office made a mistake and would be disqualified.

Within a few minutes, however, the employer escorted the young man out of the office and said to the other applicants, "Gentlemen, thank you very much for coming, but the job has just been filled."

The other applicants began grumbling to each other, and one spoke up saying, "Wait a minute, I don't understand. He was the last to come in, and we never even got a chance to be interviewed. Yet he got the job. That's not fair!"

The employer said, "I'm sorry, but the last several minutes while you've been sitting here, the telegraph has been ticking out the following message in Morse Code: 'If you understand this message, then come right in. The job is yours.' None of you heard it or understood it. This young man did. The job is his."

We are so busy living in a world that is full of noise and clatter, like that office. People are distracted and unable to hear the still, small voice of God as He speaks in creation, in the Scriptures, and in the life and work of Jesus Christ.

So we must ask ourselves, Are we listening, or are we waiting to be called? Do you hear the Lord when he speaks to you?

Dear Lord, Help us to listen for You and not just wait. We want to hear You today. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.

Are You Listening?

Deuteronomy 15:5 (KJV)

Only if thou carefully hearken unto the voice of the Lord thy God, to observe to do all these commandments which I command thee this day.

Every doctor makes mistakes or misses conditions we should have found. Among the thousands of patient encounters we have every year, doctors are bound to make some errors in judgment, or flat-out mistakes. Even if a doctor is right 99.9% of the time, he or she would still make several significant mistakes every year.

Here is a story told by a doctor.

I made one such mistake one day when I lived and worked in New Orleans - the crescent city, the city that care forgot, the Big Easy. Usually these stories start out with the statement, "It was an incredibly busy day". Not so on this day. The morning was easy. I had patients to see but did not feel rushed. One of the nurses put the chart in front of me and said, "Here, dawlin'." (I miss the little terms of endearment that people use in New Orleans - darling, sweety, sugar.) "Kid got hit with a ball last night."

I found James, a trim and strong 15 year-old boy with a large bruise on the right side of the forehead. The plum colored bruise approximated the size of the baseball that had been tossed to him (and missed) the night before. He had vomited once after the hit but slept well that night and awakened with only a mild headache. He smiled at me and only winced a little when I pressed on his forehead. After finishing my exam, I reassured his parents that all seemed to be well and that x-rays were not needed. They went home happy, and I continued with my day. Things became more hectic as the hours passed. Normally a kid with a bump on the head would not enter my thoughts again. After a quick lunch, however, an unusual feeling came to me. I felt urged to call the boy's mother. In the midst of the typical E. R. chaos, I asked the unit clerk to call their house. I almost never do this. I could remember calling a guy the next day after I found no injuries in spite of an extensive evaluation. He had fallen from a car while mooning a carload of girls - going 55 MPH on I-10. That's a story on its own. That guy was fine. James was not. I learned that he had slept most of the morning and vomited after he awakened. I asked the parents to bring James back right away.

The CAT scan of the head showed an epidural hematoma. This bleeding outside the covering of the brain is extremely dangerous and requires quick attention - usually an operation. I transferred him to Children's Hospital and he went to surgery that day. He did well. On my way home that night I wondered why, out of the blue, I decided to call the mother of a boy who did not appear to have a significant injury. I'm convinced that God's grace touched James that day. James and his family were saved from a terrible tragedy, and the emotional devastation that comes with the death or neurological injury of a child. My being saved the anguish of a terrible mistake and of the certain litigation that would have resulted was a nice byproduct of this. I doubt, however, that God was really thinking too much about me. I was a side player in His reordering of events. I'm not counting on him bailing me out again. I lost track of James and don't know what he is doing now. I have a feeling though, that eventually James will do something important and meaningful in his life - with God's grace.

How often do we fail to hear the still small voice of God speaking to us?  Are we to busy or preoccupied to hear when God is telling us to do. Take the time today to listen, really listen.

Dear Lord, We pray that we would slow down and listen to Your voice. Help us do what Your will for us today. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.

The Chicken and the Windshield

James 1:19 (New International Version)

My dear brothers and sisters, take note of this: Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry,

In an issue of Meat & Poultry magazine, editors quoted from "Feathers," the publication of the California Poultry Industry Federation, telling the following story:

The US Federal Aviation Administration has a unique device for testing the strength of windshields on airplanes. The device is a gun that launches a dead chicken at a plane's windshield at approximately the speed the plane flies. The theory is that if the windshield doesn't crack from the carcass impact, it'll survive a real collision with a bird during flight.

It seems the British were very interested in this and wanted to test a windshield on a brand new, speedy locomotive they're developing. They borrowed FAA's chicken launcher, loaded the chicken and fired.

The ballistic chicken shattered the windshield, broke the engineer's chair and embedded itself in the back wall of the engine's cab. The British were stunned and asked the FAA to recheck the test to see if everything was done correctly.

The FAA reviewed the test thoroughly and had one recommendation: Use a thawed chicken.

Communication. So vital to good relationships, yet so subject to breakdowns. Have you ever found yourself in trouble (in your marriage, in friendships, or at work) because you didn't listen carefully to what someone else said to you? You thought you understood correctly, and you almost understood correctly, but you overlooked one tiny detail and it almost proved to be disastrous.

Listening is an art that few have mastered. We would much rather be heard than take the time and trouble to listen to others. But God's Word has much to say about the value of listening.

Lets each of us take the effort today to listen carefully to others. It just may prevent a frozen chicken from flying through your windshield!

Dear Lord we thank You for always listening to us. We pray that we would take the time to listen to those around us. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

I Wonder If I Should Have Listened?

Here is a good story about listening:

I’m standing here on this ridge watching the water rise. Old Noah said it was gonna happen. In all my 300 years I’ve never seen anything like this. I’m not sure what to think of it.

The whole thing started quite a while ago – has to be nearly 100 years now. The old man started building this big thing he called an ark. Everyone said he’d gone nuts.

He said God had talked to him. He said everyone had been so evil that God was going to destroy the whole world. He was going to make it rain and flood everything.

I got to hear it pretty regular. You see, I’m a blacksmith. Old Noah’s been buying nails from me pretty much since I took over the business after my father died. He’s been in the shop so regular that I’ve tried to take pretty decent care of him. I’ve got a couple light weights for my scales – a guy’s gotta make a profit, you know – but I didn’t use them very much with Noah. If he wanted five pounds of nails, I tried to give him five pounds. There was something about the guy that just made you want to do right. Most guys I don’t mind gouging a bit. I’m sure they’ll do it to me if I’m not careful.

So Noah would come into the shop for nails and tell me all about the project – when he got all the ribs on the keel, which deck he was building, how he was doing gathering supplies – and we’d stop and have tea sometimes. Then he’d start talking about God and God’s sadness about what everybody was doing. He said God didn’t like the way people were living. My first wife used to come into the shop and listen a lot. Sometimes she would go down to his place on Saturdays and listen to him preach. Then she’d come home and preach at me. I finally turned her out. I couldn’t take it anymore. Old Noah didn’t come around for almost a year after that. Finally he came back – said he liked my product – but he was never quite the same. He would still tell me about God and tell me I needed to repent and ask me to come with him on the ark. I’d usually find a job that was due soon and have to get back to it.

So old Noah and his boys kept building – they ran short on regular work, but Noah was near 500 years-old and he’d done well in his carpentry business when he was younger, so being semi-retired didn’t hurt him too much. It probably helped him get the crazy thing done.

There it sat. He’d built the biggest boat anyone had ever seen. Some guys on the lake up north have some pretty big boats, but Noah’s was outrageous. The crazy thing’s 150 yards long. I’ve never seen anything like it. The only water near here is the river out east of town. Noah’s boat would reach across it – if he had had any way to move it over there.

Then, about a month ago, things got really strange. Animals started showing up. Noah said he was going to put animals on the ark, but I don’t think even he was ready for what happened. Every sort of critter anyone had ever seen or heard of – and a lot we’d never seen before. A couple of each of them, at least, started showing up at his place. Every day there would be something new. Sometimes they’d wander through town, sometimes they’d just be there in the morning. Noah’d get them loaded on the boat and keep working.

He’d come to town in the evenings and tell people the “time is near.” I heard him a couple times. He seemed nuttier than ever.

Then one day Noah and his family loaded up on the boat. There was a huge door in the side of the boat. The door closed by itself. It was kind of spooky. Then it started to rain. There was water everywhere. The ground opened up and water flowed out. It was just insane. By then there was no way in to Noah’s boat. The crazy old man went inside and shut the windows; the hull was slick and though people tried, there was no way in.

When I got home, there was already four or five inches of water in the shop. I gathered some tools and other supplies and headed for this high ground. People still didn’t seem to be taking it seriously so we were able to secure one of the tallest hills around, not far from town. We had to defend it a couple times when the last of the houses finally went under but no one is coming by now.

For the first few days we saw a lot of boats. There were a lot of little ones and a couple big ones that looked like they might have sailed down from the lake. Then on the eighth day after the rain started there was huge storm. We haven’t seen a boat on the water since – Noah had sailed out of sight on day six. There’s a lot of debris and bodies and junk floating by, but there doesn’t seem to be anything left alive. We’ve seen smoke coming from the high ground east of here, but not much else.

It’s been 12 days since the rain started. So we’ve got a routine and a secure place here. I’ve been measuring the water every day. At the rate the water’s rising we’ve got enough high ground to go another 12 days, maybe 15. I figure we ought to be all right. After all, how long can a storm last? Still, sometimes I wonder if maybe I shouldn’t have listened to the old man.

"Then the LORD came and stood and called as at other times, "Samuel! Samuel!" And Samuel said, "Speak, for Your servant is listening.""

-1 Samuel 3:10 (New American Standard)

Dear Lord we pray that we would have our ears open and we would listen to what you have to say to us.  We thank you for the ways you talk to us. In Jesus’ name, Amen.