Day 14 - listening ( a testimony)
I thought I might just explain a little bit about how I hear God, for anyone who might be interested. I know He speaks to everyone in different ways, but for me, learning to hear His voice has always been about catching the first thought that flits through my mind. Someone once told me that it's usually the first thing which is the God thing - and that has certainly proved to be true for me. The mad notion which flits into the brain and out again without explanation or reason is quite often the thought which needs to be retrieved, held onto and chewed on.
Meditation is the act of chewing on something. Turning it over and over until you have seen it from all angles and squeezed all the meaning out of it. Meditating on the word of God is so good for the very reason that there is an inexhaustible supply of goodness to be squeezed. Just when you think you have fully understood everything there is to understand about a parable or a verse, something comes along to show you that there is yet another angle or application or layer of meaning. Which is what makes it all such fun.
Equally the world around us is full of messages from the Creator. Whilst he was sitting outside minding his own business God showed up to Jeremiah and said ' What do you see? ' Jeremiah happened to be looking at an almond branch at the time, so he said ' Ummm, I see an almond branch'. And God had a bit of a joke with Jeremiah and used a play on words to start to speak to him about the state of the nation and what not. God is still saying ' What do you see?' today. And He is still really into playing with words, puns, double meanings. God loves a joke. He is always smiling. So sometimes, alot of times, I notice something and my attention is captured for a second. Like to a flock of birds on a telephone wire. ( see yesterday's blog) I have learned to pay attention to those times.
Example - I was recently in a Prayer Ministry Training event. During the course of the evening there was a large slide projected onto the wall which said Prayer Ministry Training. (see left)
And all I could see all night as I looked up at this were the letters PMT. I have learned to listen when I see something like this - what's the worst that can happen? You stand up and say that someone in the room is suffering from Pre Menstrual Tension, and everyone feels a tad awkward, nobody responds and you all go home. But the best that can happen is that you give the word, someone does respond and God does something. Which is, in fact, what happened! Someone who was suffering way more than ' just' PMT bravely responded and received prayer and God met her, has started to heal her and I believe will radically transform her life in the coming months. All because of a sign on the wall. And a rather ridiculous thought which wouldnt go away.
Less frequently I will look at someone and just have a sense about them - perhaps that they are not doing too well, or that God's favour or blessing is on them. I spend quite alot of time in church just looking round the room, watching to see if I can spot what God is doing. More often than not He is moving through the worship time, lighting up peoples faces and settling on people in peace. The other day as I looked up during worship I noticed a young man standing close to me and the word ' flagpole' came into my mind. First thought. If I hadnt been paying attention I might have missed or dismissed that. But I chased it, caught it and had a think about it. It didnt mean a whole heap to me, but later when I shared it with him it seemed to strike a chord.
Occasionally it isnt something Ive physically seen, or a word flitting through my head, its more of an image - a bit like a daydream - which interrupts what Im thinking for a few seconds and seems to be a bit out of place. Sometimes its just a random thought, but often its a God thought. Especially if what Ive been thinking about is a person or situation Ive been praying for. A few weeks ago someone asked me to pray about a meeting they were going into where they needed wisdom. As I was praying I had a picture come into my mind - something which appeared to be completely unrelated to anything. It was of a bird in flight , but it wasnt a ' real' bird. The image in my head was almost like a logo, a stylised image of a bird. I wasnt sure what it was about but I shared it with the person I was praying for and during the meeting a bird was mentioned in conversation. Because I'd shared the picture beforehand, there was a sense of God confirming something.
During Advent I try to listen more carefully and more consistently than usual. God is always speaking. I want to get so good at listening that I know the names of people who pass me in the street and can see the destinies of all the babies who get dedicated in church 😊
Just like Jesus.
Meditation is the act of chewing on something. Turning it over and over until you have seen it from all angles and squeezed all the meaning out of it. Meditating on the word of God is so good for the very reason that there is an inexhaustible supply of goodness to be squeezed. Just when you think you have fully understood everything there is to understand about a parable or a verse, something comes along to show you that there is yet another angle or application or layer of meaning. Which is what makes it all such fun.
Equally the world around us is full of messages from the Creator. Whilst he was sitting outside minding his own business God showed up to Jeremiah and said ' What do you see? ' Jeremiah happened to be looking at an almond branch at the time, so he said ' Ummm, I see an almond branch'. And God had a bit of a joke with Jeremiah and used a play on words to start to speak to him about the state of the nation and what not. God is still saying ' What do you see?' today. And He is still really into playing with words, puns, double meanings. God loves a joke. He is always smiling. So sometimes, alot of times, I notice something and my attention is captured for a second. Like to a flock of birds on a telephone wire. ( see yesterday's blog) I have learned to pay attention to those times.
Example - I was recently in a Prayer Ministry Training event. During the course of the evening there was a large slide projected onto the wall which said Prayer Ministry Training. (see left)
And all I could see all night as I looked up at this were the letters PMT. I have learned to listen when I see something like this - what's the worst that can happen? You stand up and say that someone in the room is suffering from Pre Menstrual Tension, and everyone feels a tad awkward, nobody responds and you all go home. But the best that can happen is that you give the word, someone does respond and God does something. Which is, in fact, what happened! Someone who was suffering way more than ' just' PMT bravely responded and received prayer and God met her, has started to heal her and I believe will radically transform her life in the coming months. All because of a sign on the wall. And a rather ridiculous thought which wouldnt go away.
Less frequently I will look at someone and just have a sense about them - perhaps that they are not doing too well, or that God's favour or blessing is on them. I spend quite alot of time in church just looking round the room, watching to see if I can spot what God is doing. More often than not He is moving through the worship time, lighting up peoples faces and settling on people in peace. The other day as I looked up during worship I noticed a young man standing close to me and the word ' flagpole' came into my mind. First thought. If I hadnt been paying attention I might have missed or dismissed that. But I chased it, caught it and had a think about it. It didnt mean a whole heap to me, but later when I shared it with him it seemed to strike a chord.
Occasionally it isnt something Ive physically seen, or a word flitting through my head, its more of an image - a bit like a daydream - which interrupts what Im thinking for a few seconds and seems to be a bit out of place. Sometimes its just a random thought, but often its a God thought. Especially if what Ive been thinking about is a person or situation Ive been praying for. A few weeks ago someone asked me to pray about a meeting they were going into where they needed wisdom. As I was praying I had a picture come into my mind - something which appeared to be completely unrelated to anything. It was of a bird in flight , but it wasnt a ' real' bird. The image in my head was almost like a logo, a stylised image of a bird. I wasnt sure what it was about but I shared it with the person I was praying for and during the meeting a bird was mentioned in conversation. Because I'd shared the picture beforehand, there was a sense of God confirming something.
During Advent I try to listen more carefully and more consistently than usual. God is always speaking. I want to get so good at listening that I know the names of people who pass me in the street and can see the destinies of all the babies who get dedicated in church 😊
Just like Jesus.
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