Listening

Have you ever used a fax machine? It is a means to transmit documents from one location to another using a phone line.  A long beep indicates the fax machine is connecting to another fax machine and getting ready to receive and print out what is being transmitted.  If the fax machine was already in use, the sender would get a busy signal.

How about you?  What signal does God get when He tries to send you a message and speak to your heart? Does He get a busy signal because the line is tied up and connected to something else?   

To clear the line, we have to practice being still and incline our ear to listen.  It takes discipline to tune out the many voices and opinions bombarding us from all directions.  It is important that we learn to not only listen, but to listen to HIS voice.  Can you imagine your fax machine tapping into and printing out random conversations rather than the phone number that was dialed?  We have to be intentional in our listening and hone into our Heavenly Father’s voice. This is crucial to our faith journey as we follow Him.  John 10:27 says  “My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me.” 

Listening and hearing are two different things.  For example, kids playing outside may hear you when you call them in for dinner, but do they listen and come in?  When you listen, there is a sense of receiving the message, processing and responding to it.

Just as the fax machines connect when one machine sends and the other receives, God desires to connect with us and have fellowship.  Is He getting through or getting the busy signal?  He always has an open line for us.

Revelation 2:7 says “He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.” God is speaking.  Are we listening?