Hearing God

I was reading my bible to be prepared for bible study tomorrow morning at church. We are reading 1 Samuel 3. The bible study guide asked us to reflect on 'when is it hard for you to hear God?' It talked about how busy our lives are and that sometimes we are so busy we find it hard to hear God. We read our bibles but 'struggle to be still and to receive a word from God.'

I realized as I tried to reflect on when is it hard to 'hear God', that I had the TV on and I was trying to do my bible study over the commercials. So do you think it is hard to 'hear God' if one is squeezing Him in on the commercials. (Yes, I did turn the TV off.)

And I realized that while technology is such a benefit to our lives, it gives us so much more free time because machines and technology have lightened our physical load. At least in comparison to the pioneers, we no longer have to grown the wheat, thresh it, grind it, then use it to mix the dough, to bake the bread. We can just buy a loaf of bread. Even if we make it fresh we now have bread machines that do much of the work for us. Think of the extra time saved!! Yet, do we view it that way? Do we view it as time saved for God?

I think many times, instead of it giving us more time for God, technology seems to also prevent us from 'hearing God'. If we are constantly surrounded by noise - the noise of the TV and/or the radio. The noise of the dishwasher. The noise of the washer and drier. It is hard to be still and be quiet. It is hard to stop and really listen for God's voice. If God spoke to us like he spoke to Samuel - would we hear him? Or would the noise of our daily lives drown Him out?

Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth.

Psalm 46:10

Be still before the Lord and wait patiently for him; do not fret when men succeed in their ways, when they carry out their wicked schemes.

Psalm 37:7

The Lord will fight for you; you need only to be still.

Exodus 14:14

'Ah, sword of the Lord,' you cry, 'how long till you rest? Return to your scabbard; cease and be still.'

But how can it rest when the Lord has commanded it, when he has ordered it to attack...'

Jeremiah 47:6-7

Be still before the Lord, all mankind, because he has roused himself from his holy dwelling.

Zechariah 2:13

The Levites calmed all the people, saying, "Be still, for this is a sacred day. Do not grieve."

Nehemiah 8:11

He got up, rebuked the wind and said to the waves, "Quiet! Be still!" Then the wind died down and it was completely calm.

Mark 4:39