July 15, 2022

                                                         Listen

 

She gave this name to the LORD who spoke to her. “You are the God who sees me,” for she said, “I have now seen the One who sees me.” – Genesis 16:13

 

Hagar had fled. She was done. She’d been unfairly used as a pawn by Sarai and Abram. Now she was pregnant and being abused for it.

 

Back in those days it wasn’t uncommon for a slave to be used as a breeder for children. No one asked their permission. Why would they? Slaves – and women – were property with no voice and no rights.

 

But here’s the thing: God met her in that place. He didn’t ignore her or punish her or demean her in any way. He heard her cry. He listened. Really listened. What an amazing gift!

 

We are a society focused on things. We buy things. We do things. We are quick to tell others what to do and how to do it. We want to “help” them become who we’ve decided they should be. But do we ever really listen to them?

 

It takes time to hear someone. It takes focus and an openness we generally don’t want to give. We want to throw a quick fix their way and be done with it. What a waste! We’ve moved on but they’re left standing there with an empty heart and, likely, resentment at not being heard.

 

Do you want to give someone a gift? Listen to them. Really listen. Don’t focus on your response. Don’t consider how you want to fix them or their situation. And don’t focus on your “wise” advice. Just listen. It’s the greatest gift someone could give to another person.

 

God didn’t miraculously change Hagar’s situation. He could have. Instead, God sent her back to her life as a slave. But she knew God was with her and her unborn son. God heard her. And in that moment that made all the difference in the world

November 14, 2018

God Listens

You who answer prayer, to you all people will come. – Psalm 65:2

When I was a child, the Mormons aired a television commercial that really hit close to home for me. It was about a little girl who had just returned home from a birthday party. Her mother didn’t want to hear about the party because she was busy folding clothes and watching a soap opera. Her Dad was too busy to listen. So was her brother. She finally sat down on the back step and asked the dog if he wanted to hear about the party.

I’m sure there are details I’ve forgotten over the years. The message remains. There are times in our lives when we need someone to listen and they simply can’t or won’t. And there are times in our lives when someone else needs us to listen and we either can’t or won’t.

Are you a good listener? Do you listen to hear or to respond? Do you listen only so you can tell something about yourself? Or do you ask questions and make comments about what the other person is saying?

So often, we try to make it about us. Many times we think we’re too busy to stop and hear what someone else has to say. We think we’ll have plenty of time for conversation one day. Except one day never comes.

I saw something on Facebook recently that said there are seven days in the week. One day isn’t one of them. But we act as though it is. We’ve got lots of plans for one day.

We get caught up in life, don’t we? We plan to spend quality time with our children except we are so busy. We’ve got work and then we’re racing kids to soccer practice and dance and a host of other activities. We’re there but, well, someone is always texting or calling. And we need to relax. There’s surely nothing wrong with playing video games or scrolling mindlessly through Facebook. We can listen another time.

Except when will one day come? When do we share a conversation with the people that we care about? When do we look someone in the eye, share a smile, chuckle over a joke?

I’ve always been blessed. God never, ever left me alone. I learned early in life that He is quick to listen. It is a comfort that I have carried with me. He surrounds me. He is with me.

People are amazed that I’m not lonely. Why would I be? I am so blessed with the people in my life, those who are there no matter what. But I am mostly blessed with a God who listens, who sees me, who holds me close. Always. Forever.

I don’t understand those who find it hard to pray. It doesn’t have to be formal. It doesn’t have to always be more of a ritual or a list of thanks and requests. Yes, God is Creator and to be respected and held in awe. But He is also Abba, Father, Daddy. I am many things in this world but the first thing I am is His child.

I talk to God constantly. Yes, I have formal prayer times. But why would any of us limit time with God to just that? I thank Him constantly for blessings as I enjoy them. I ask for His help and guidance as situations pop up through the day. I ask Him to watch over others, whether I know them or their story or not. It’s how I keep myself connected to the source of life while I travel through a sometimes dark world.

I hope that whatever you face today, you take a moment and invite God in. I hope that you talk to Him, let Him calm you and guide you. I hope you share your laughter with God, as well as your tears. He loves you. And He’s always there to listen.

January 3, 2018

God Hears Us

She gave this name to the LORD who spoke to her: “You are the God who sees me,” for she said, “I have now seen the One who sees me.” – Genesis 16:13

Hagar was an unfortunate pawn. God made a promise to Abram but He never said how long it might take. So Sarai decided to take matters into her own hands. She gave her slave, Hagar, to her husband, Abram, so that perhaps Hagar would get pregnant and give Sarai a child.

Oh, what a storm we create when we fail to wait for God. Hagar did become pregnant but Sarai despised her for it. Hagar ran away but God saw her. Just like He sees us. Just like He sees me.

These last few years have been long and hard. I learned to let things roll off of me, choosing instead to pick my battles. Is it something I simply don’t like? Or is it something that could cause harm to an elderly parent? Some battles just weren’t worth the argument.

As I left that season of caregiving, more challenges awaited me. I found that way too many people either didn’t hear what I said or simply ignored my wishes. It’s as though they assume my voice doesn’t matter. Except it does.

We have become a society that listens in order to respond to what is being said to us. We aren’t concerned about the wishes of others. We don’t particularly care about their opinions. It’s all about us. We make sure of that. We see that clearly in our broken political rhetoric that plays to our emotions rather than to reconciliation and compromise.

No one wants to be dismissed or ignored and it’s frustrating to have someone ignore your wishes in an effort to bully you to accept theirs. We assume that others want what we want and if they don’t, well, that’s their problem. We know more than anyone. Except we don’t.

God saw Hagar. He heard the cries of her heart. God hears us too. He never tunes us out because we aren’t agreeing with Him. God never ignores us. He sees us, flaws and all, and loves us anyway.

When was the last time you really listened to someone who disagrees with you? Have you ever gotten off your own agenda and considered someone else’s viewpoint? We don’t have to agree in order to listen. And listening doesn’t mean we have to change our minds or our actions. It simply shows respect for another human being. Listening says that the words of someone else matter.

Whose voice do you hear today? Is it your own or are you listening to others? Remember that God hears us all and sees what is truly in our hearts. Take a moment and listen. Really listen. You might be surprised at what you learn.

Saturday, September 24, 2011

Listen For God’s Voice

“Choose my instruction rather than silver, and knowledge over pure gold. For wisdom is far more valuable than rubies. Nothing you desire can be compared with it.” -- Proverbs 8:10-11

What did you ask God for today? What did you tell Him you wanted Him to do? Surely it was something. It’s what all of us do each day. We ask God to do something for us.

I know. Many of the requests are for others. We want God to protect those we love. We want His healing touch. We want God to provide for us. We want God to solve our problems. We want those around us to be happy and successful. We want that for ourselves too.

But what about what God wants? There’s a radio comedy dialogue that has a man answering the phone and it’s God calling. He proceeds to tell God what he “needs”. His roommate is in the background, yelling out more requests. When the guy hangs up, the roommate asks what God wanted. The man who answered the phone didn’t know. He’d been too busy making requests to hear what God had to say.

It sounds funny but really it isn’t. And we all do it. A friend of mine stopped by recently. She and her husband are in the middle of a major job and location change. They just don’t know where they’re going yet. She laughed a bit about it. The checklist is almost complete. They’re packing and moving, traveling, relinquishing volunteer roles. It’s all scheduled to be done by Oct. 1^st. Then she and her husband can spend some quite time alone with God and really pray and wait to hear what He says.

Quiet the busyness. That’s what it takes to hear God. Stop talking. Stop answering the phone. Turn off the television and computer. Just quiet ourselves and listen for Him to speak. He will. He is not in the wind and rain, in the thunder and hail. God is in the quiet stillness that settles over us.

His peace fills us. We only have to seek His will. His perfect will. Like my friend who doesn’t know where she’s headed, we can turn to God for the answers. And we can rest in confidence that He knows and that His plan for us is perfect.

We were not created for God to spoil us rotten. Oh, He frequently does. But that’s not why we’re here. God created us to serve and honor Him. How can we do that if we never listen to what He has to say? So quiet your mind. Open your heart. And listen for God’s voice. You’ll be amazed and blessed by what He has to say.

Saturday, September 17, 2011

Listen To God

So Jesus told them, “I am not teaching my own ideas, but those of God who sent me. Anyone who wants to do the will of God will know whether my teaching is from God or is merely my own. Those who present their own ideas are looking for praise for themselves, but those who seek to honor the one who sent them are good and genuine.” -- John 7:16-18

Have you ever made an unpopular decision? Have you ever done something that you know is right but that someone else doesn’t agree with? Most of us have probably faced down unpopularity at some point in time. It isn’t fun.

A few months ago a young woman I know made a painful decision. She didn’t make it on a whim. She prayed and sought God’s counsel. Her decision broke a young man’s heart and really caused a fuss. But it was the right decision for her.

She had tons of doubts in the weeks that followed. But slowly her confidence grew. God blessed her decision and led her down a different path. She looks back and knows with certainty that her decision was the right one and the one God chose for her.

Sometimes that’s how decisions go. Someone gets hurt. Someone doesn’t get what they want. And aren’t they critical and in a snit because of it? I get that. I do. Anyone would be upset when they’re denied what they want.

In a different life, I was a controversial editorial writer. I loved pushing people’s buttons. It wasn’t so much the controversy I was after. I wanted people to think about issues. It’s just too easy to say what everyone else says and to believe what everyone else believes. It’s a lot harder to step out, have a different opinion, take a different stand, make a different decision.

A few years ago I decided against having a booth at the local art festival. It was a really unpopular decision, especially since they’d used photos of my art in their publicity campaign. I couldn’t explain why other than to tell the truth: God didn’t want me to do it. Funny how people, including Christians, really don’t buy into that.

What made it worse was that I really needed the money I would likely earn at the show. I begged God. I pleaded. Still, His answer was no. I obeyed Him, though I wasn’t really happy. At least, not right then. I was quite happy with God when bad weather caused the show to be canceled for the first time in its history. Yeah. God knew what He was doing. I was so grateful that He’d warned me and, for once, I’d had the good sense to listen and do what He said.

Following God isn’t always easy. It isn’t always popular. People frequently don’t understand. But it really just comes down to faith and trust in a God who is all-powerful and who loves you and me beyond anything we could every imagine. He’s looking