Feb 07, 2011 Communion with God: Listening to His Words
Originally posted on August 26, 2004
“O how I love Your law! It is my meditation all the day. My eyes anticipate the night watches, that I may meditate on Your word.” Psalm 119: 97, 148
The best part of relating to God in a specific time of daily fellowship with Him is that we actually get to hear His voice. We can have the experience of listening to the words of God. When we listen to God’s word every day we slowing but surely begin to change. The Bible calls this change a transformation (Romans 12:2).
The transformation comes in our thoughts, values, and behaviors. Joy and love are strengthened in our hearts. Our souls return to rest (Psalm 116:7). The greatest change agent I have known in my life is the experience of listening to the word of God.
My Suggestions For Daily Listening to God’s Word
1. Get alone and quiet with a Bible and a journal (any note pad will do).
2. Choose a book of the Bible you will read from each day until you complete it. If you have access to some background information on that book of the Bible, read it first to help your understanding. Then, just start reading! Aim for at least a chapter a day, but don’t get hung up on how much you read. Shoot for quality of interaction with whatever you read.
3. Read until something grabs you. You’ll know when this happens because your heart will engage. You will think a beautiful thought about God. Or, you will come across something new that you have never seen before. A sentence may give you some direction about a situation you are facing. Maybe you will find something that helps you with the emotions you are feeling at the time. Whatever the case, you will know it because you will want to stop and think about what you just read.
4. Thinking about what you read is meditating. As you are meditating on the Bible, write your thoughts in the journal. You can write in the form of a prayer to God. Sometimes I write to myself in much the say way the psalmist spoke to himself (Psalm 116:7). The point here is to process the word, interact with it, ponder it and respond to it. If possible, do this in writing. This is listening!
5. Do it everyday. If you listen to God’s word everyday for 30 minutes or an hour, you will experience change. You will never want to quit.
The thing I like about this approach is that it is so personal. This kind of listening to the word is between God and me. He speaks to my soul and I don’t have to worry about who is listening. I don’t even have to correct my spelling! I just read God’s word and respond to Him in journal conversation, and it is awesome.
Try it.
Pastor Scott