God wants to communicate with us. In fact, Jesus is the Living Word spoken into our lives by the Father. We can go through life, however, not hearing His word because we do not listen for Him. We don't know how, we were not taught to actually hear from God, or we are just too busy. Most serious of all, we don't care.
Where to begin?
God loves it when we ask Him questions. He loves it because this is when we are expecting to hear from Him, He does not disappoint.
Ask Him anything and see what happens. He may answer immediately through thoughts - even by one word! - ("Whoa, I never thought about that before."). Or He may answer through someone who comes into your life ("Wow, that is an answer to my question."). Or a response may come through circumstances ("I never looked at it that way before!). He may answer through something you read ("Wait, I have to read that again.").
Or He may answer in other countless ways.
“Whoever has ears to hear, let them hear.” Mark 4:9.
I am thinking that if the response we hear brings us closer to Him, to know Him and to love Him even more, that response may well be from God.
Two days ago I asked, "Father, what do you want me to know about your goodness?" A one word answer came to me, almost immediately. "Constant."
God is constant. Everything around me may be changing, but God is unchanging. "Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever." Hebrews 13:8.
The word "constant" is derived from the Latin: "con stare," translated "to stand with." God is always standing with me, no matter what I am going through.
So today, to my surprise, the opening hymn in the Magnificat prayer book is: "There is no friend like Jesus, so constant and so kind..." Wow - there's that word again. And I marvel at God's friendship, kindness, and His never changing love for us.
Asking God questions and receiving His responses to those questions is one way to grow in a personal - one-on-One relationship with Him.
So ask Him anything, and see what happens.
One thing that I find helpful, is finding time for silence. It seems that there is constant sound in our lives. It may be a radio, tv, or music player in the background. Right now, I hear the construction vehicle at a neighbor's home as their new patio is being installed, the beat of another neighbor's sound system, and the traffic noise from the major road behind my house. Physical silence is hard to find at times, but we learn to tune that out to some extent. Then there is the noise of our thoughts, which is even harder to dampen. The constant to do list, the concern for a friend or family member, the need to add milk to the shopping list - these things add to the noise of our life.
ReplyDeleteFor me, early morning or the middle of the night when sleep is elusive are good times to find quiet. I relax and just tell God that I'm open to hearing His voice. Sometimes I'll show Him the things I'm concerned about, sometimes I'll talk to Him about other people's struggles. I breathe slowly and hand it all over to Him. As you said, I might find answers right away or they might just "pop-up" later. When that happens, I often laugh! The important thing is to be open to hearing His answer - which will always be of love, kindness, and compassion. He will never guide you to something that is in any way evil or hurtful. He may take you out of your comfort zone, but never in a way is harmful.
There is one particular way of praying that is near and dear to my heart - the Rosary of the Blessed Virgin Mary. This is usually prayed using Rosary beads and consists of the Apostles Creed, the Our Father, the Hail Mary, the Glory Be and a few other prayers. There are meditations that go with them, that focus on the life of Jesus and His Mother, Mary. The sets of prayers are divided into four Mysteries - Joyful, Luminous, Sorrowful, and Glorious. Most pray only one of the mysteries at a time and it takes about 20 minutes. The repetition is very calming and the opportunity to meditate or think about different events in Jesus' life can answer many questions.
To read more about the Rosary, learn how to pray it, and find the prayers go to: https://m.theholyrosary.org/rosary_gallery/