Listening for WisdomSample

Listening by Quieting Ourselves

Many of us know how to crowdsource opinions on our new vacation outfits. We understand how to gather a group of girls to plan a fun day together or keep each other accountable with a diet plan or workout regime. We can stay hyper-connected through text and social media. We can even reach out to friends for prayer before praying ourselves. All these require making time and effort to stay connected to other people, media, and culture. We can see the importance of this... But many of us forget to prioritize staying connected to God.

What do I mean? It is hard to be quiet long enough to hear from him.

I recently went to a Christian event, and as I looked around, my mind quickly became filled with who I could meet. I think I could network with that person. Maybe I could get to know that person. Who else will I talk to? Soon after, the Lord quieted my heart. What if the only one that I was supposed to meet with was God? Could I be satisfied?

Ever since then, I have made it a priority to spend time with God alone in the car, to walk with him with no podcast in my ears, and to spend time alone tuning my ears while I do the dishes or fold the laundry.

I don’t want to continue to make my schedule full of people without blocking out time for God. Rather, I want to make it my ambition to live a quiet life.

With the rise of public figures, public programs, social media, and public platforms, it can feel like the only significant things are the ones we post. Yet the Bible would say, “Make it your aim to live a quiet life, to mind your own business, and to earn your living, just as we told you before. In this way, you will win the respect of those who are not believers, and you will not have to depend on anyone for what you need” (1 Thessalonians 4:11-12, GNT).

How do we do all these things? Just like anything else, we need to prioritize it. Can we get up early and find some quiet space to talk to God? Can we allow him to meet us in our everyday tasks? Is there a way to pause in the middle of our chaotic day to thank him? It’s easy to look to others for approval, acceptance, and our identity. Maybe like me, you’ve given other people too much room to speak into your life, and God too little room to speak into your identity.

We need to make it our priority to be ambitiously unseen by others and seen by God. In moments of feeling lonely, we need to invite loneliness to the table and ask loneliness if we are letting God enter in to comfort us.