But as I practice the art of listening to God, I am discovering that he is surprisingly talkative even in the silence. Prayers are not going unanswered as much as he is responding in unexpected ways. Listening to God's voice requires more than just my ears; it requires my eyes, my mind, my spirit, my entire being to recognize the God-nudges in life.
*Margaret Feinberg. the organic God.
* * *
A religious seeker asked a great sage, "Sir, when does God speak to us?" "I will answer that, sir," replied the sage, "when you can tell me when God is not speaking to us."
* * *
Have you ever had the moment when you wanted God to shout, where you would know for sure the answer you were seeking from God? I have. The Bible is full of stories of persons who heard from God just that clearly. Rarely does God seem to come over loud-and-clear to us, however.
Is God intending to confuse us, to be unclear in answer to our prayers and deepest longings? Well, no, not if God loves us as much as God claims to love us.
I have two wonderful dogs. We communicate pretty well. Yet, they had to learn how to listen to me and me how to listen to them. If I expect them to be able to define my words and the syntax of my sentences, that will not happen. And, I just do not understand their barking the way they seem to understand it. Our communication grew out of our relationship. They had to learn to listen to me differently, and I did the same for them. That process continues.
Okay, think of the Divine speaking "God-language" and you speaking "human-language." That is like you two being from two different planets. That is somewhat like my speaking to my dogs from the "human planet" and their speaking to me from the "dog planet." Somehow, we have to connect. Somehow, you and God must connect.
This learning how to listen to God is why Feinberg, in the organic God, speaks of listening to God as an art. She affirms that God is always answering our prayers, always responding, but in "unexpected ways." That means we have to practice how to listen to God, for God has to speak to us in ways that translate "God-language" into "human-language," and we have to work at learning how to decipher that translation.
There are "God-nudges" that are the Divine's response to us. Sometimes, these come as subtle or strong intuitions. The God-nudge is sometimes how life is revolving around us. Recently I had to decide, for example, if God wanted me to stay where I am now serving as pastor, even when I was faced with potentially having to go part-time and lose my benefits. Everything happening in the church pointed to "Stay." Nothing pointed to "Leave."
There are other ways God-nudges arise. Sometimes, God responds to us through a friend's wise words. God speaks to us through Scripture or another writing. Possibly, you have had an experience of some scripture jumping off the page, so to speak, at you, like God is saying, "This you need to hear."
Spiritual direction is another form of listening to God. Here, you get a person to be your spiritual guide, or spiritual friend. Many persons are trained to provide this role. These persons are not counselors, rather, they are trained to assist you in hearing what God is "saying" in your life at any one time.
I believe, as many do, that dreams and visions can be given by God. These are primary ways in Scripture. If we were more open to these means of God speaking, likely, they would occur more.
But, you can logically question: "Is it not true that we can interpret things as God-nudges that are not?" Yes. This is why great spiritual writers, like Teresa of Avila, have given guidance on how to discern what is and is not the Voice of God. She and others, like John of the Cross, warn against taking too seriously spectacular means of God's apparent voice.
We can easily be mislead, as I have at times~maybe many times. For example, our so-called intuition can be a subtle substitute reflecting our unconscious desire or paranoia, rather than the work of the Holy Spirit.
I recommend a close spiritual friend or guide to help you in spiritual discernment~spiritual discernment is what we use in Christian devotion for discerning the Voice of God. I recommend, also, to practice patience when God's answer is not clear. Frequently, we need to give matters time for God's response to become more clear. This patience will pay off.
We need to trust that God does speak to us. God does lead us. We just need to keep working at how to listen. And, also, we can accept that often we do not hear until we are prepared or ready to hear. Sometimes, when we are ready, we hear what we could not hear before.
* * *
*Brian K. Wilcox lives with his two beloved dogs, St. Francis and Bandit Ty, in Southwest Florida. He serves the Christ Community United Methodist Church, Punta Gorda, FL. Brian is vowed at Greenbough House of Prayer, a contemplative Christian community in South Georgia. He lives a contemplative life and inspires others to experience a more intimate relationship with Christ. Brian advocates for a spiritually-focused Christianity and renewal of the focus of the Church on addressing the deeper spiritual needs and longings of persons, along with empathic relating with other world religions, East and West. Brian has an independent writing, workshop, and retreat ministry, for all spiritual seekers.
*For replies and biographical information, as well as booking retreats or workshops, fill out the following form:
|
