Learning to Listen

"My sheep listen to my voice. I know them and they follow me." John 10:27

The past few days I have been learning the art of being quiet. I sort of had an idea of what this meant before, but God is holding me still long enough now to learn a little more. I think way too often I take the things God wants to teach me in life like pages in a math book- I get the gist, I have the urge to move on. I say to God, "okay, I got that. What's next?" or I take the truths that God speaks into my life and start treating them life formulas to plug into the screwed-up parts of my life, hoping that it'll be a quick fix. (don't try this at home).

funny thing how God doesn't seem to be the god of the quick-fix. nope. not really. And i'm glad.

So, after having a few months of rushing around looking for quick fixes and easy results, I am seeing my Abba for the first time in a while. To be honest, there are times when I want to look away. Or maybe I look away and start thinking he is going to throw me a quick fix muffin on my way out the door. Fortunately, he doesn't do that. So I am learning just to shut my mouth and hold still while he puts the bandaids on my life.

Today I learned that I'm not really in control. Or maybe the lesson was taught yesterday and I got it today. I don't get to choose the stuff God allows in my life- I only get to choose whether or not I fall deeper in love with him because of the way he rescues me. Its been a weird thing to grasp that God doesn't expect me to have things all figured out. What a strange concept to assimilate in our self-dependent world that God wants us to have the best life possible- all compliments of him. He wants to pay for every date and he also wants us to order the lobster.

I have been trying to nail down freedom in Christ for a while, trying to figure it out. Its a big thing, but one of the newest aspects I am seeing with my little eyes is the fact that Christ frees me to hear his voice. He frees me from the confines of my small understanding and opens this world of hearing what I need when I need to hear it. This morning on the radio, someone said, "God is not our co-piolot. God is the air-traffic controller." I like that. What a perspective he has and he is willing to let us see it if we would only listen to his voice.

So I am learning how to listen a little deeper.

"My sheep lietn to my voice. I know them and they follow me." John 10:27

"And pray in the spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests." Ephesians 6:18a