17 Nov – Listen

This is a repost from a few years ago, but as we look ahead to a New Year and all that it holds perhaps it is a very good time to stop and listen so that God might guide us.

Before refrigerators were invented, in colder parts of the world they used ice houses to preserve their food. During the winter people cut large blocks of ice from the frozen lakes and streams and then hauled them to ice houses where they covered them with sawdust so the ice wouldn’t melt.

There is a story of a man who lost a valuable watch while working in one of these ice houses. He searched carefully, raking through the sawdust but failed to find his missing watch. Others helped look but they also failed to locate the man’s watch.

One day a small boy quietly went into the ice house during lunch break. After a few minutes he came back out with the watch in his hand. Amazed, everyone asked how he found it. “It was simple,” the boy replied. “I just closed the door, lay down in the sawdust, and kept very still. Soon I heard the watch ticking.”

How many of us fail to be able to hear like the men who couldn’t find the missing watch. We don’t take the time to be quiet and listen, or we’re only listening for the things we want to hear and we ignore the rest. Or maybe we are listening, but the noise of everything and everyone else is so loud that we couldn’t hear the voice of God even if we wanted to.

There is no substitute for taking  time to be quiet and listen. With the constant daily activity we can find ourselves in it’s so important to find times of quietness and rest. Time when we can sit and listen to our hearts, consider any challenges and take our concerns to God. Time to sit and listen to His guidance and receive from His strength.

This is what the Sovereign LORD, says: “In repentance and rest is your salvation, in quietness and trust is your strength (Isaiah 30:15).

Today take the time to sit and listen. As you read God’s word and sit in His presence just listen. As the young boy in the story found the valuable watch, you’ll be amazed with the valuable treasure you’ll find.

Prayer: Lord help me to simply stop, rest and listen in your presence today. In Jesus Name Amen.