Have you got your listening ears on?
Ok so what happened to the more frequent blog posts that I promised you? The whole month of September passed by and I didn't manage to post one blog....not for want of trying I hasten to add. I have taken lots of photos and much has happened since my last blog in August, however I just didn't quite manage it...many apologies.
So here we are almost at the end of October ....and still no blog! This needs rectifying. By this stage in the year I was hoping to be blogging about all things Autumn, but that will have to come at a later date because for now I want to ask the question:
Exactly one year ago today (23rd October 2017) both David and I sat in this same holiday cottage with our listening ears on! Not large cardboard cut-outs as pictured above, but rather, ears tuned in to listen for a call on my mobile.
We were waiting upon a phone call that could change the course of our spiritual journey. We had both been praying for direction and wisdom and we felt a peace and confirmation in our hearts at the anticipation of something new about to happen.
Who would have thought that 12 months on from that phone call we would be sitting here, same place, same date and still with our listening ears on! We are not waiting for a phone call this time, but rather listening to what God is telling us. Listening to hear His voice to guide us every step of the way in a life dedicated to serving God in the community where He has placed us.
For those of you who read my blog Playing Hooky you may remember that I asked myself the question -
"How on my spiritual journey can I make sure that I hear God's voice?"
So how do I hear God's voice? How do I make sure that I have got my listening ears on?
When our three girls were younger I can remember saying to them "Are you listening?" Not for one minute did I doubt their hearing, but wondered whether they were attentive to what was being said. From an early age we gain the skill of looking attentive when actually our thoughts are wandering - I have mastered this art to perfection at times.
Reading around the subject of listening, made me realise that in order to be able to hear God's voice then I must have a two-way relationship with Him. I shouldn't be doing all the talking....(mmmm, pause for thought!)
I must also be able to make myself available......(mmmmm how easy is that when I am wearing so many different hats and juggling my time?)
Plus I need to have the skill to discern whether what I am hearing is the voice of God or just my own desires (now that's a bit scary, if I am honest).
But over the years rather than just read the words on the page, I now take a different approach. I appreciate having Daily Bible notes, which focus on a particular book or theme. I read and re-read the passage. Sometimes I read it slowly. I reflect and pray about what I have read and then contemplate on what it is saying about the way I am living my life and what I need to change.
Yet for those of you who read my last blog Northbreak (August 2018) then maybe you could say I too heard an audible voice as words began to formulate in my head, and a 'God conversation' transpired regarding the randomness of my photograph taking.
At the time I had no idea what this meant - however since posting the Northbreak blog, I am humbled at the responses that I have received. It is both touching and uplifting when I hear that something I felt led to post has spoken directly to the heart of some my blog readers.
One thing I am finding useful is to always check out what you think you are hearing. Check it out by reading God's Word.
Is it God given or is it self-driven? Pray for the spirit of discernment.
Where do you pray? Do you allow yourself time to be quiet?.
My problem is that I easily get distracted when trying to be quiet...that ping on my phone to tell me someone is sending me a message - of course I just need one peek......
Noticing the dust on the table and thinking I really need to deal with that, like now!...it has been there all week but I just need to deal with it right now rather than being still.
Then there's that item I need from Morrisons - it has just sprung to mind...if I don't write it down I will forget it - "ok Lord", I bargain, "I will be right back when I have written my shopping list"...oh so many distractions to take me away from sitting in the quietness.
And yet I find it really easy to sit in the peace and quiet of our new home and watch the birds through the windows.
So why do I find it difficult to focus on being quiet and still for any length of time to listen and pray.
I really have to work at it...and then I get a gentle nudge - a still small voice saying - Hey - not had a chat for a while... have you got any time to listen?
I have started to leave my phone on silent during this time so I am not distracted.
Working hard at anything reaps benefits - so I would encourage you if you don't already do so, to establish a good 'quiet time' and prayer time routine. You will be surprised at the results!
Hearing the voice of God through other people
Are you ever in a conversation with someone and they say the exact thing that you have not shared with anyone else apart from in your prayers to God? I can tell you, that when that happens on three different occasions from three different people, then it's time to take note!
Or do you ever go to church and sit through sermon after sermon, then one day the Pastor preaches as if there was only you in the room and just confirms what those three people have just told you? Ok Steve P - 1 Samuel 14 v6 was the sermon you preached that confirmed what we had been praying about - "perhaps" is only a small word, but had a big impact on our lives!
Take note of what your Pastor preaches on - you will know exactly when God is speaking to you!
Hearing God speak through life circumstances
I once read that God uses the ordinary everyday circumstances to communicate to us. I find this challenging at times - I mean, it's great when the sun is shining and Spring turns into Summer, creation unfurls, and you just take a moment to stop and look at God's handiwork
Sometimes we take the mundane so much for granted that we forget to lose ourselves just for a moment in the wonder of everyday-ness. Maybe we need to be more thankful and use the uneventful moments of the day to hear what God is saying to us. Many a prayer time has taken place at my ironing board!
Hearing the voice of God through dreams and visions
There are several pointers to this in the Bible, not the least being Joel Chapter 2 vs 28. I believe God can and does use visuals to speak to us and also gives us wisdom to interpret what He is saying - I just need to be open to receive.
Now I first started to write this blog way back in April (yes April!) and I parked it on the back burner, lacking inspiration and time if I am honest. But as ever - my timing was not God's timing - and God's timing is perfect.
Never in a million years did I think that when I typed in the heading '....through dreams and visions', I would myself be the recipient of a God filled vision or dream, and even less likely would I be given the gift to interpret what was being said - but as I said - I needed to be open.
Laying myself open to receive I felt vulnerable, exposed. My vulnerability began to change to expectancy. I became excited...what was happening?
During the course of a week of early morning prayer meetings I began to receive all I can describe as pictures in my head.
The pictures bore no semblance to what the leaders of the Prayer Meeting were asking us to focus on....was I looking attentive when actually my thoughts were wandering again?
I am convinced that I wasn't.
The pictures in my head were clear. By the middle of the week we were asked to write down or draw what we felt God was saying to us...
Here again the same series of pictures came vividly into my head - there was no way I could draw this - so I scribbled an outline..
A four picture sequence.....
Day 1. A male hand holding an intense flame of fire. What was all that about? I couldn't get the image out of my head
Day 2. A male hand holding a smouldering flame
Day 3. A male hand holding ash and then wiping the ash from his hands
So here we are almost at the end of October ....and still no blog! This needs rectifying. By this stage in the year I was hoping to be blogging about all things Autumn, but that will have to come at a later date because for now I want to ask the question:
Have you got your listening ears on?
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There was nothing more for us to do but prayerfully wait and listen.
The call came through! David had been called to ministry in Troon!
Who would have thought that 12 months on from that phone call we would be sitting here, same place, same date and still with our listening ears on! We are not waiting for a phone call this time, but rather listening to what God is telling us. Listening to hear His voice to guide us every step of the way in a life dedicated to serving God in the community where He has placed us.
For those of you who read my blog Playing Hooky you may remember that I asked myself the question -
"How on my spiritual journey can I make sure that I hear God's voice?"
So how do I hear God's voice? How do I make sure that I have got my listening ears on?
When our three girls were younger I can remember saying to them "Are you listening?" Not for one minute did I doubt their hearing, but wondered whether they were attentive to what was being said. From an early age we gain the skill of looking attentive when actually our thoughts are wandering - I have mastered this art to perfection at times.
Reading around the subject of listening, made me realise that in order to be able to hear God's voice then I must have a two-way relationship with Him. I shouldn't be doing all the talking....(mmmm, pause for thought!)
I must also be able to make myself available......(mmmmm how easy is that when I am wearing so many different hats and juggling my time?)
Plus I need to have the skill to discern whether what I am hearing is the voice of God or just my own desires (now that's a bit scary, if I am honest).
For me it is a bit like this...I believe that God talks to me in many different ways, so I have included a few illustrations below. The list is not exhaustive and I can think of many more examples of how God has spoken to me, but for now I will just share a few with you.
Ways I hear God's voice...
I hear God's voice through reading
I love reading, and as a mum to three girls there was nothing more rewarding then snuggling up to read a favourite bedtime story...I am not sure how many times I read 'Not now Bernard' or 'Animal Ark' stories and would never underestimate the value of reading to babies and children.
Yet when it comes to reading my Bible - reading takes on a whole new level.
Now I admit, when I first tried to read the Bible (many, many years ago!) I thought I would start at the beginning, read it and take it at face value. That didn't work! By the time I had got through Genesis and Exodus and reached Leviticus, I was ready to give up.
Reading my Bible is one way that I hear the voice of God - I can't deny this, how many times have I been praying for something and my daily reading has the answer right there in front of me. Sometimes a word of encouragement, and other times a word of challenge. God has revealed much through reading His Word.
Now don't get me wrong, nothing can take the place of reading the Bible, but I am finding it really helpful to engage in what I am calling 'sprititual reading'. I am complimenting my Bible reading with reading devotional works, books which are spiritually uplifting, and books which challenge me and push me out of my spiritual comfort zone.
Recently I have found myself with several books on the go, something I never thought I could do. I am a 'one book at a time' sort of person - so this is a new challenge and one which I am thoroughly enjoying.
One thing I have found useful - don't tidy your books or Bible away! I can't believe I am saying this - but it actually works. Have them to hand, that way it is so much easier to pick up and dip into.
Recently I have found myself with several books on the go, something I never thought I could do. I am a 'one book at a time' sort of person - so this is a new challenge and one which I am thoroughly enjoying.
One thing I have found useful - don't tidy your books or Bible away! I can't believe I am saying this - but it actually works. Have them to hand, that way it is so much easier to pick up and dip into.
Hearing God's voice through an audible voice
Now I wasn't going to include this one as I am not one who would claim to have had a Charlton Heston type experience (although I am not denying that some people do claim to have heard God's voice audibly).
Now I wasn't going to include this one as I am not one who would claim to have had a Charlton Heston type experience (although I am not denying that some people do claim to have heard God's voice audibly).
Yet for those of you who read my last blog Northbreak (August 2018) then maybe you could say I too heard an audible voice as words began to formulate in my head, and a 'God conversation' transpired regarding the randomness of my photograph taking.
At the time I had no idea what this meant - however since posting the Northbreak blog, I am humbled at the responses that I have received. It is both touching and uplifting when I hear that something I felt led to post has spoken directly to the heart of some my blog readers.
One thing I am finding useful is to always check out what you think you are hearing. Check it out by reading God's Word.
Is it God given or is it self-driven? Pray for the spirit of discernment.
I hear God's voice when I pray
I am learning the lesson that it doesn't matter what time of the day or night I set aside time to pray and be still - but what does matter is that I do it, and do it regularly.
I am learning the lesson that it doesn't matter what time of the day or night I set aside time to pray and be still - but what does matter is that I do it, and do it regularly.
I can always find something to do to busy myself, and at times I just say "yes" to all kinds of requests and then later regret not having time to fit in my quiet time. Time passes and then I realise I am trying to squeeze a 'quiet time' in late in the day when I am tired, or even worse playing catch up the following day resulting in the subsequent guilt trip I put myself on.
Noticing the dust on the table and thinking I really need to deal with that, like now!...it has been there all week but I just need to deal with it right now rather than being still.
Then there's that item I need from Morrisons - it has just sprung to mind...if I don't write it down I will forget it - "ok Lord", I bargain, "I will be right back when I have written my shopping list"...oh so many distractions to take me away from sitting in the quietness.
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So why do I find it difficult to focus on being quiet and still for any length of time to listen and pray.
I really have to work at it...and then I get a gentle nudge - a still small voice saying - Hey - not had a chat for a while... have you got any time to listen?
Working hard at anything reaps benefits - so I would encourage you if you don't already do so, to establish a good 'quiet time' and prayer time routine. You will be surprised at the results!
Hearing the voice of God through other people
Are you ever in a conversation with someone and they say the exact thing that you have not shared with anyone else apart from in your prayers to God? I can tell you, that when that happens on three different occasions from three different people, then it's time to take note!
Or do you ever go to church and sit through sermon after sermon, then one day the Pastor preaches as if there was only you in the room and just confirms what those three people have just told you? Ok Steve P - 1 Samuel 14 v6 was the sermon you preached that confirmed what we had been praying about - "perhaps" is only a small word, but had a big impact on our lives!
Take note of what your Pastor preaches on - you will know exactly when God is speaking to you!
Hearing God speak through life circumstances
I once read that God uses the ordinary everyday circumstances to communicate to us. I find this challenging at times - I mean, it's great when the sun is shining and Spring turns into Summer, creation unfurls, and you just take a moment to stop and look at God's handiwork
but life isn't always sunshine and roses (or magnolias) -
what I am learning to do is listen in the grey times, the mundane and the daily routine - now that's hard.
Hearing the voice of God through dreams and visions
There are several pointers to this in the Bible, not the least being Joel Chapter 2 vs 28. I believe God can and does use visuals to speak to us and also gives us wisdom to interpret what He is saying - I just need to be open to receive.
Now I first started to write this blog way back in April (yes April!) and I parked it on the back burner, lacking inspiration and time if I am honest. But as ever - my timing was not God's timing - and God's timing is perfect.
Never in a million years did I think that when I typed in the heading '....through dreams and visions', I would myself be the recipient of a God filled vision or dream, and even less likely would I be given the gift to interpret what was being said - but as I said - I needed to be open.
Laying myself open to receive I felt vulnerable, exposed. My vulnerability began to change to expectancy. I became excited...what was happening?
During the course of a week of early morning prayer meetings I began to receive all I can describe as pictures in my head.
I am convinced that I wasn't.
The pictures in my head were clear. By the middle of the week we were asked to write down or draw what we felt God was saying to us...
Here again the same series of pictures came vividly into my head - there was no way I could draw this - so I scribbled an outline..
Day 1. A male hand holding an intense flame of fire. What was all that about? I couldn't get the image out of my head
Day 2. A male hand holding a smouldering flame
Day 3. A male hand holding ash and then wiping the ash from his hands
Little did I know that as the same time David was busy writing down what he had been 'given'.........
This was definitely no coincidence!
So what was God saying?
A smouldering wick....
Smouldering embers.....
I believe that the series of pictures was depicting God's hand and the flames were representing his 'church' - us!
There are times when we feel on fire for God! Our faith is strong.
Yet there are also times when our faith may grow weak because of trials that come our way. Sometimes we become fearful of the obstacles in our way rather than trusting the Lord.
We are like flickering flames, weak, trying to stay alight but feeling that our light is ineffective - at any moment our light is going to go out.
We need to trust. I need to trust.
When we are at our lowest point, we feel like ash....we can't be re-lit.
We feel that it is all too much.
We are not in a good place spiritually and we
feel that God is wiping His hands of us
Yet it is when we feel at our lowest and weakest that God is showering us with His grace and power.
He will never abandon those whom he loves.
Instead of snuffing us out, He re-kindles us. He builds us up and sets us on fire for Him again.
I needed to capture this vision for myself and maybe for others? - who knows?
Whilst writing this blog it has become clear that I need to keep my listening ears on!
I need to continue to make myself available to hear what God is saying to me. My relationship with God has to be two-way and I need to be able to discern His voice.
So finally - how about you?
Have you got your listening ears on?
Before leaving this blog it would be remiss of me if I didn't say some thank yous.
I want to thank the Tookey family for allowing me to use the photo of their daughter proudly wearing her listening ears. I also want to thank Helen B for kitting our girls out in matching pjs when they were younger - that photo is a classic! Thanks also to our good friend Helen J for the photos of the birds taken in our garden in Scotland this past summer.
I would like to thank the three people (who probably have no idea who they are or what they said) and Steve P for his sermon on Jonathan and the armour bearer - you have no idea of the impact your words have had on us. I would like to thank our middle daughter Naomi for the wonderful interpretation in chalk pastels of the vision I was given - you have captured it perfectly!
And finally I would like to thank David who most definitely had his listening ears on when at a young age he received the call of God upon his life, was obedient to that calling which has brought us to where we are today.
Thank you.
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