Listening and Waiting

It's late. I'm in my pj's. What's on my heart tonight? Learning to listen and wait on the Lord. I'm not talking about listening for the Lord while you're driving or doing the dishes. I'm talking about something that I kinda get the feeling few Christians including myself really learn how to do. Listen and wait. No agenda. No plans. No prayers. No worship even. Just getting on your face and waiting on the Lord. Sounds weird huh? I know it does, because few people actually do it, I think.

I feel like the Lord has been after me in this area to seek Him simply for Him. For nothing else and to do absolutely nothing while seeking Him except listen. I dare you to try it for five minutes and I promise you after two you'll be done wanting to wait. You'll get antsy. Your mind will flood with thoughts, wants, petitions, your to do list, whatever. If you're anything like me, (think energizer bunny) you will find this virtually impossible. So I dare you to try it with me anyway because it's worth it.

I'm sure that so many of us hear, but don't listen. Or wait, but are not still. God can speak to us however He wants and I'm not saying that you have to lie prostrate in order to hear from God, but there is a humility and submission that comes from getting on your face and thinking about the Awesomeness of God and His love that is quite a different experience for the fleshly body that we live in.

If you think about how you normally relate to God or to your friends, there is usually some sort of active verb involved. With the Lord it can be praying, singing, reading (your bible) or actually doing something. With friends, it can be all those things and much more. What I'm talking about are the two most passive verbs I can think of outside of sleeping; waiting and listening.

I personally have so much stuff going on right now that I can't afford to not hear from the Lord properly. I can't afford to be wrong in what I'm hearing. I'm not saying I need to be perfect in this, because I'm not, but I do know that He wants me (us!) to hear Him above the noise, above the distractions in life and most certainly above our own thoughts or "good ideas" for God.

Here's the thing. He is so faithful to direct us if we wait for Him. I can't stand it when Christians refer to God as their co-pilot. He shouldn't be the co-pilot. He's the pilot. We don't lead. He does...if we are willing to hand over the controls. But we don't. I don't. I can't seem to want to let go of my agenda and the Lord in His mercy is making my life so loud, that I'm seeing that unless I learn to throw out my agenda and get what he is trying to show me here...I just might miss something.

So I'm learning to wait and listen. Sometimes, He doesn't say anything to me. Which makes me wonder if like fasting, it's just the discipline of my heart He's after. Yesterday however he did show me something and so I did exactly what He wanted me to do and the outcome was awesome. If nothing else, He simply bolstered my faith that I can in fact hear specifically from Him if I would just take the time to do so.

Proverbs 8: 34-36
"Blessed is the man who listens to me, watching daily at my doors, waiting at my doorway. For whoever finds me finds life and receives favor from the LORD. But whoever fails to find me harms himself; all who hate me love death."