God Still Speaks – Are You Listening?

Do you ever wonder
if God still speaks
to his people?

Let me assure you that He does.

Think about it.

Has a Scripture ever leapt off the page?
A passage you’ve read many times,
but suddenly,
it’s vibrant and significant
to your current situation.

Has a song on the radio
or in church brought you to tears
repenting something bitter,
or remembering something sweet?

Has the pastor delivered a sermon
and it seemed like he or she was
reading your mail?

Has a friend or stranger provided
a kind word or admonition
precisely for the season of life you’re in?

That was probably God
speaking to you,
comforting you,
reminding you.

Sometimes God speaks in a gentle whisper –
like a thought that runs across
the backyard of your brain.

When I make time to listen for Him,
I often get a thought that is
too wonderful to be my own.
Sometimes I get a picture of something
that is meaningful to me.

Other times,
God speaks with a gentle correction.

That’s what happened when I was
fussing about the mess in my son’s room.

Jake’s room was a disaster area.
Stacks of magazines,
motorcycle paraphernalia, and
a week’s worth of socks and underwear
covered the floor.

He had one little bitty space
on his huge desk that
wasn’t covered with papers or books.

The bed was disheveled and
the window blinds were all catawampus.

How could a kid whose brain
organized data to get straight A’s
live in this chaos?

When he invited me in to talk,
he had a sad face.

I hesitated at the doorway
reading his T-shirt.

Organized people
are just too lazy
to look for stuff.

I sighed and went in.

I wondered how much a dumpster would cost
as I pushed the clutter on his bed aside
to make a spot to sit down.

See, I am not messy.

My spices are alphabetized.

My closet is color organized
by sleeve length.

The coins in my car are heads up,
facing the windshield.

I can tell you what’s going to be for
dinner a week from Tuesday.

Being in his room makes my
brain freeze and my hands twitch.

As I listened to his troubles,
it was all I could do to
concentrate on the conversation.

When my wisdom was dispensed
and his axis rebalanced,
I made my exit from his messy boy-cave.

Walking down the hall from his room,
I wasn’t celebrating that he came to me for advice.
I wasn’t excited to be part of his inner circle.
I didn’t think to myself
what a wonderful young man he is growing up to be.

Nope, I was griping about
the decade-lost battle with him
over the disorderliness of his room.

That’s when God whispered in my ear.
That’s how I feel in your heart, Robyn.
You are so busy being tidy and organized
but you don’t find any space for us to talk.

Ouch!

My son’s bedroom was a mess,
but his heart was tender and compassionate.

My house was spotless,
but it took so much time and attention
to keep it that way
that I didn’t make time for God.

Hebrews 12:5-6 says:
“My child,don’t make light of the Lord’s discipline,
and don’t give up when he corrects you.
For the Lord disciplines those he loves,
and he punishes each one he accepts as his child.”

I’m sure it’s possible to have both a tidy house and open heart,
so I am choosing to make time to be with God.

Will you join me?
We could make our Lenten discipline.

For 40 days,
carve out 5-15 minutes
to sit and listen for God.

Set a timer for 5 minutes the first week or so.
Add a couple minutes a week.

Start by asking,
God, What do you want me to know today?

Then, just sit and listen.
Don’t pray through your list.
Stop worrying about your to-dos.
Turn off YOUR brain and listen for GOD.

I’ll let you know what He says to me and
I can’t wait to hear what he says to you.