So I’m going though a situation where I’m really having to trust God with the outcome. It’s something that I’ve been dealing with a while and comes down to if I’m willing to completely surrender the situation to Him or will continue to try and take it back. It's not that I know I’ll do a better job of handling it than God it's just that by giving it to Him, I’m giving up that control and that's a scary thought for me. What if He doesn't answer me like I want Him to?
So I was actually praying about this very thing last night, the song "Always" (Hillsong United) playing on my laptop and putting into words what I couldn't say. I realized that a big part of prayer is the ability for us to stop talking and listen. It’s not all about us and us telling God what we want; it's about letting Him speak to us as well. Even though He may not choose to speak in an audible voice, He may "speak" by giving you an indescribable sense of peace, assuring you that He hears and will answer...in His time (that's the kicker right there). For me, I find great comfort in listening to worship songs during these times of soul searching. "Always" was the perfect song for me last night because more than me wanting this thing to happen in my life, I want what God has for me.
I think God chooses not to always speak in a loud voice because that would be too easy and require little if any faith on our part. All we would have to do is be quiet enough to hear Him. Yet if He chooses to speak in a whisper or through a song, that requires much more thought and concentration. There’s the story in the Bible about Elijah and how he was standing on a mountain, waiting for God to move. A great wind blew by but God wasn’t in the wind. An earthquake shook the mountain but God wasn’t in the earthquake. A fire came next but God wasn’t in the fire. Finally, Elijah heard a still, small voice and that was God (1 Kings 19:11-13).
So I was actually praying about this very thing last night, the song "Always" (Hillsong United) playing on my laptop and putting into words what I couldn't say. I realized that a big part of prayer is the ability for us to stop talking and listen. It’s not all about us and us telling God what we want; it's about letting Him speak to us as well. Even though He may not choose to speak in an audible voice, He may "speak" by giving you an indescribable sense of peace, assuring you that He hears and will answer...in His time (that's the kicker right there). For me, I find great comfort in listening to worship songs during these times of soul searching. "Always" was the perfect song for me last night because more than me wanting this thing to happen in my life, I want what God has for me.
I think God chooses not to always speak in a loud voice because that would be too easy and require little if any faith on our part. All we would have to do is be quiet enough to hear Him. Yet if He chooses to speak in a whisper or through a song, that requires much more thought and concentration. There’s the story in the Bible about Elijah and how he was standing on a mountain, waiting for God to move. A great wind blew by but God wasn’t in the wind. An earthquake shook the mountain but God wasn’t in the earthquake. A fire came next but God wasn’t in the fire. Finally, Elijah heard a still, small voice and that was God (1 Kings 19:11-13).
Saying all that to say that I think sometimes listening is just as much a part of praying as talking. It’d be like asking someone a question and before even giving them time to answer we keep talking. What’s the point of even asking if you don’t let them respond? God won’t force us to listen; we have to make the choice to quiet down and hear Him.
this. was a great post amber. and i totally agree, sometimes that peace speaks volumes more then words ever could. and hillsongs has a nack for wording worship just right :)
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