Monday, March 22, 2010

Listen For God's Voice

" When you see the ark of the covenant of the Lord your God, and the priests, who are Levites, carrying it, you are to move out from your positions and follow it. Then you will know which way to go." -- Joshua 3:3b-4a

Wouldn't it be great if we always had a physical sign to follow so we would know the way of the Lord? We would never have to guess which way to go. And we would never have an easy excuse when we chose the wrong path.

Wait a minute, you say. Think about it, I say. If we always know exactly what road God wants us to take, we can only blame the person we see each day in the mirror when we choose the wrong road.

Of course, we would probably make an excuse and it would never be our fault. Just ask the Israelites. They always complained. They sinned repeatedly. And it was never their fault. Sound familiar?

But God has given us a road map. He didn't leave us without direction. It's called the Bible. The more we read and study it, the clearer God's path for us will be.

And then there is prayer. You know what that is. It's the time when we get to talk to God and listen to Him. That's the key -- listening to Him. We tend to forget about that part.

Even when we remember, it's not always easy. So many times I have prayed for God to quiet my mind so I could hear His voice. I get so much static -- my wants, other's opinions, the "should" dialogue that fills my mind. It's sometimes difficult to hear what He's telling me.

I pray that I will follow Him no matter what I think I want. I pray that His will be done no matter what others believe is best for me. Because I know that so long as I am doing what He wants, everything will turn out alright. That is His promise to me.