Listening to See

but just as it is written, "THINGS WHICH EYE HAS NOT SEEN AND EAR HAS NOT HEARD, AND {which} HAVE NOT ENTERED THE HEART OF MAN, ALL THAT GOD HAS PREPARED FOR THOSE WHO LOVE HIM." For to us God revealed {them} through the Spirit; for the Spirit searches all things, even the depths of God. (1 Cor 2)

Have you and your spouse ever had a prayer meeting together just to listen to God? This is something that my bride and I have found incredibly helpful. We get our Bibles and the two of us find a place alone to listen to God. We start with a prayer where we offer ourselves to God and ask God to speak to us. Then we expect that He will bring to mind Scriptures, testimonies, word pictures or hymns to share. As we share, we also try to listen and take notes about the meaning of the Scriptures, songs and sharings.

We have often used this approach as we faced major decisions. Sometimes we have come away from that time with sense of what direction we are to go. Other times we have been brought to a new closeness to God but without reaching a sense of direction. Frequently our attitudes, values and priorities have been challenged as we listened. It has occasionally been necessary for us to have multiple of these little prayer meetings as we continued to seek peace for a particular direction or decision.

As we face the fog of the future, it is common for us to wonder what to do at any fork in the road of our life. Sometimes, we can know the right direction from obvious principles of Scripture. Other times the best decision or direction is not so clear. And, to complicate the situation, there is the temptation we each face to depend solely on our natural talents, knowledge or desires. God has wonderful things in mind for us; but, how often do we rise to His level of vision for our lives, family or church? The truth for me and many of us is that God wants to speak to us more than we want to listen. Yet, if we listen, we will begin to see the wonderful.

Project:
Have a "listening" prayer meeting with your spouse or family.