Tag: listen

Posted on

Listening Then Submitting

Isaiah 55:2 (ESV)—Why do you spend your money for that which is not bread, and your labor for that which does not satisfy? Listen diligently to me, and eat what is good, and delight yourselves in rich food.

My husband and I sat on old theater seats in the back of a listening room in Nashville’s Gulch neighborhood. When the bluegrass band stepped onto the stage and the leader spoke into the microphone, a hush settled over the room. After introductions, they began to play.

My body responded to the rhythm. My head bopped; my toes tapped. I not only listened to the music but also allowed it to feed my spirit.

I think this feeling translates well to the verse for today. When we go into a listening room with God, he quenches our spiritual thirst with the rhythms of the Holy Spirit, the “rich food.”

To continue to partake in the rich food requires us to continue seeking his will and acting in obedience when he speaks. We first listen to God’s voice then submit to the rhythms of the Holy Spirit.

Posted on

Gathering in Christ’s Name

A gathering of prairie dogs in Prairie Dog Town at Devils Tower National Monument
A prairie dog peeking out of its burrow
A prairie dog standing on its hind legs
Acts 10:33 (ESV)—"So I sent for you at once, and you have been kind enough to come. Now therefore we are all here in the presence of God to hear all that you have been commanded by the Lord.”

They stand on mounds of dirt, stick their heads out of burrows, and generally scamper about the grassy field known as Prairie Dog Town. I lift my camera and aim the lens at the prairie dog peeking out of its burrow. Another sits yards away, chewing on the grass. Still another sits upright, head moving side to side as if in search of danger.

Without this keystone creature, the ecosystem at Devils Tower National Monument and nearby Badlands National Park could collapse. The black-footed ferret could starve without its meal of prairie dog, burrowing owls couldn’t claim abandoned prairie dog burrows for homes, and the grass would grow tall and prevent other plants from sprouting.

Likewise, without the keystone of community, the wheels of Christianity could stop turning. Without gatherings, there is no listening, no sharing. Without the exchange of information, truth remains hidden in the shadows.

For Simon Peter, an invitation to share the gospel turned into a learning experience when the truth came out of the shadows. He recognized salvation was not only for Jews but also for Gentiles—for everyone!

For sure, gathering in Christ’s name causes the wheels of Christianity to move. Community creates a space of listening and learning, of sharing and hearing—a place where God reveals truth.

Posted on

Looking Beyond Dull-Brown Limbs

Psalm 29:9 (ESV)—The voice of the Lord makes the deer give birth and strips the forests bare, and in his temple all cry, “Glory!”

Brown leaves covered the West Mountain Trail in Hot Springs National Park. I’d been hoping to witness autumn color in a third destination this year. Instead, I gazed up at bare branches, dull-brown-colored limbs offering not a single picture-perfect scene for my travel photo collection.

A disappointment, for sure, but not as big of a letdown as missing Gods’ voice as the pagans did. Forces of nature the pagans viewed as their gods’ anger, David used to describe his all-powerful God, the Force of Nature.

It is this Force who strips us bare and calls our name. Paying attention to this voice reveals bare branches that frame a clear blue sky and allow sunlight to flood the forest floor.

Indeed, tilting our listening ear toward our Father’s voice when life’s branches feel bare allows us to cry “Glory!” when we hear the pitch-perfect thunder of God’s voice.