Today’s Reading:  Psalm 85, 62, 95; Proverbs 8, 23

Like his father, Solomon was a writer – a poet.  God gave both father and son the gift of eloquently expressing their emotions and telling the story of where they were at in their intimate walk with God.  He put a new song in their heart and powerful words to express their amazement of how wonderful God is.  

Solomon, the wisest of all men in the land, spoke beautifully of how each one of us can be wise if we listen closely to what God has to say:

Listen as Wisdom calls out!

Hear as understanding raises her voice!…

“Listen to me!  For I have important things to tell you.

Everything I say is right, for I speak the truth…

My advice is wholesome…

My words are plain to anyone with understanding,

clear to those with knowledge”. – Proverbs 8:1, 6-9

 

And in the words of his father, David:

I listen carefully to what God the Lord is saying,

for he speaks peace to his faithful people. – Psalm 85:8a

 

“I wonder if God is speaking to me.  I wonder if that is His voice.”  Have you ever had a similar experience or time when you wondered if you were hearing from God?  Do we miss out on opportunities to hear God because we do not step out of our busy schedules to sit still and listen?   Is He speaking to us but we do not recognize His voice?

Get into the habit of saying, “Speak, Lord,” and life will become a romance.  Every time circumstances press in on you, say “Speak, Lord,” and make time to listen.  Chastening is more than means of discipline – it is meant to bring me to the point of saying, “Speak, Lord.”  Think back to a time when God spoke to you.  Do you remember what He said? … As we listen, our ears become more sensitive, and like Jesus, we will hear God all the time (Oswald Chambers, My Utmost for His Highest, January 30th).

Those words resonate with my heart’s desire to be close to God.  Many times in my life I have been challenged to think of my relationship with God as any other relationship in my life.  In order to draw closer to someone, we must spend time with them and communicate with them, both listening and speaking.  This makes sense but the intimacy we have with God is so much deeper than any other relationship.  I love how Oswald Chambers describes the life of listening to God as a romance.  The more we listen, the more we will hear from God; the more we hear from God, the more sensitive we become to His voice and the more easily we recognize Him.

This brings my mind to one of my favorite worship songs – The More I Seek You, written by Zach Neese and sang by Kari Jobe.  This song has a melody that stays in your head – a song that gets stuck in your heart, causing you to desire to recline on the Savior and hear His heartbeat.

The more I seek you, the more I find you.

The more I find you, the more I love you.

 

I wanna sit at your feet, drink from the cup in your hand.

Lay back against you and breath, hear your heartbeat.

This love is so deep, it’s more than I can stand.

I melt in your peace, it’s overwhelming.

 

The more I seek you, the more I find you.

The more I find you, the more I love you.

 

Thank you, Lord, for loving me enough to draw me closer to you.  I thank you for the experience of resting in your presence and simply drinking from the cup of your hand.  Teach me to recline and trust you at all times, finding my hope in only you.

I wait quietly before God,
    for my victory comes from him.
He alone is my rock and my salvation,
    my fortress where I will never be shaken…

 Let all that I am wait quietly before God,
    for my hope is in him.
He alone is my rock and my salvation,
    my fortress where I will not be shaken.
My victory and honor come from God alone.
    He is my refuge, a rock where no enemy can reach me.

 O my people, trust in him at all times.
    Pour out your heart to him,
    for God is our refuge. – Psalm 62:1-2,5-8

And the Lord came and called as before, “Samuel!  Samuel!”

And Samuel replied, “Speak, your servant is listening.” – 1 Samuel 3:10

 

My child, listen and be wise:

Keep your heart on the right course. – Proverbs 23:19

 

Come, let us worship and bow down.

Let us kneel before the Lord our maker, for he is our God.

We are the people he watches over, the flock under his care.

If only you would listen to his voice today! – Psalm 95:6-7