Listening to God

One of the most forgotten disciplines of Western Christianity is the ability for us to remain silent for significant amounts of time and just listen to God.  For many of the early Christians and Church Fathers, silence was an essential aspect of their spiritual lives.  Being able to hear the often subtle whisper of God, they understood that every distraction from life had to be eliminated.  And they knew how essential it was for their soul to not miss God's voice in their lives.    

But we don't like silence, do we?  It makes us uncomfortable.  Some of us even loathe it and feel anxious or panic in long periods of silence.  I'll admit, I'm sitting in Starbucks at this minute because there's lots of background noise and it makes me feel more productive and more connected.  I hate working at home during the day, because it's just too quiet and I feel uncomfortable.  I'm also plagued with horrible tinnitus from years of listening to loud music.  Too much silence for me actually produces a ringing in my ears that is more deafening than a jack hammer, but that's another story.  Well, my Dad warned me!

But we live in a faced paced society.  Most of us are constantly digitally plugged into something or exposed to noise that constantly distracts us throughout every minute of every day.  When serving at my last church, I remember sitting in my office, in front of my desktop computer, while attempting to also work on my laptop with another task and talking on my cell phone as well.  What would I do if the office phone rang at the same time?

It makes makes you wonder how on Earth we functioned without the abundance of technology in our lives.  But then again, maybe we functioned better.  Is it possible that in the attempt to be more efficient, more productive, faster and better, that in the long run, we've created what we tried to avoid in the first place?  I can imagine many years ago, someone thinking that with all the new technology at their finger tips, they would finally have time to spend more time with God.  Years later, that same person tossed his laptop, cancelled his mobile service and changed careers because he became disconnected from God.  He was plugged into everything BUT the Holy Spirit.

Is there anything inherently wrong with technology?  Of course not.  It's technology that allows me to write these blogs and communicate with over 50 Life Group leaders every week.  None of us need to cut off the keys to spite the keyboard, but is it possible that we can end up at the point of overload with technological stimuli?  Are we in danger of an overdose?  Do we need an intervention?

Jesus often spent times alone in order to commune with His Father.  There's a very specific reason that God included at least half a dozen examples of Jesus withdrawing from the disciples and crowds so He could be alone and pray.  He knew the essential need of a healthy connection with God the Father and wanted us to see this lived out in His life.  My favorite reference is Luke 4:42.

"And when day came, He departed to a lonely place; and the multitudes were searching for Him, and came to Him, and tried to keep Him from going away from them." - Luke 4:42  

In this verse, Jesus is not saying that solitude and silence in prayer is easy.  He reminds us that when we retreat for times of prayer, we often find ourselves in a "lonely place"  It's not easy.  It takes discipline.  We will find ourselves easily distracted and yes, lonely.  But our ability to connect with God each and every day, away from the constant roar of life is essential to our spiritual lives and our ability to function as Life Group leaders.  We need to set the example by what we do, and who we become by spending time communing with God the Father almighty!  Let's start today!