Listen

Be honest with yourself. When was the last time you sat and just had a real, live conversation with someone else, in which you took turns and genuinely listened to what they said? No devices. No TV. No music. No distractions.

No wonder it’s so hard for us to listen to God.

As we read in Habakkuk 1, he boldly asked God all the really hard questions that were on his heart. It’s hard to love someone—even the Creator of the Universe—if you’re holding grudges and hiding your true feelings. Habakkuk clearly loved God, but that didn’t keep him from respectfully challenging God with a request to help him understand the huge gap between what he believed and what he saw all around him.

Once the prophet had finished asking his questions, he knew it was time to listen.

“I will stand at my watch and station myself on the ramparts; I will look to see what he will say to me, and what answer I am to give to this complaint” (Habakkuk 2:1)

Sometimes the reason we’re not getting answers to our questions is that we’re not willing to listen, pause and wait long enough for God to reveal himself to us.

How do you actually listen to God? You can open his Word and let his Spirit bring truth to life. God speaks through circumstances, if you pause long enough to reflect. He speaks through people, offering divine wisdom from heaven. And he can speak directly to you through his Spirit.

Keep listening. God will not abandon you in your time of need.And bring a pen and paper when you pray. So afterwards you can write what God speaks to you.

“Do not be anxious or worried about anything, but in everything [every circumstance and situation] by prayer and petition with thanksgiving, continue to make your [specific] requests known to God.”
‭‭Philippians‬ ‭4‬:‭6‬ ‭