Daily Devotions

Listening God’s way helps us enter and to step into another person's world. 

Loving God and loving others happens best and most effectively in relationship. Many folk today love to vent their ‘truth’ for all to hear on the bullhorn of the internet, but rarely will those divisive opinions cause real change or transformation in the lives of others. 

More often, such mishearing and speaking causes more hurt and division. To be a true disciple o Jesus, to pursue unity with others, and to love our neighbour well, we have to take time to be in one another’s lives. That means less of being keyboard warriors and more of being the person who calls, goes for a walk, volunteers in their schools, and leads in the workplace. If we want our good theology to influence a broken world around us, we have to start with love for the people of our broken world—in and outside of the church.

American Methodist Bishop Will Willimon says, “Christians are those who have dared to listen for a word from the Lord and have heard that word in Jesus Christ.” In Deuteronomy 30:20: such hearing is expressed as "Love the LORD your God, listen to his voice, and hold fast to him." Such love, supremely seen in Jesus, was manifest in the way he entered the everyday lives of ordinary people and listened. Jesus modelled how to lovingly listen to the people around him. Listening like Jesus affirms people and acknowledges their personhood. 

There are numerous times when Jesus stopped on his journeys or even from his preaching, to engage people ~  for example: Zacchaeus, the woman in the synagogue who was stooped over, Nicodemus, and Bartimaeus, the blind beggar who no one really paid much attention and was told to “shush” when Jesus came to town.

For us to listen like Jesus might mean putting away our phones and temporarily ignoring the crowds around us to listen intently to the one person needing to feel heard.   

So we pray; Lord, Help me to be quick to listen to other people and not always be the one that wants other people to always listen to me. Help me to listen in love, not only their needs and hopes and fears but to listen to their advice and their opinions. May I be an encouragement to them, someone who lifts up the other person and considers their needs before my own.

Help me to really listen to what they say and not to be waiting for an opportunity for me to discuss my opinions or display my own intelligence. Give me the grace and patience to be a good listener I pray, so that I may demonstrate the love of Jesus to all around me. In Jesus' name I pray. Amen

Daily Devotions

Listening God’s way helps the disciple to understand another’s perspective. It enables us to truly be an empathic listening follower of Jesus. The New Testament phrases this way of living as “Bearing one another's burdens”  and  appears in Galatians 6:2, where the Apostle Paul writes, “Share each other’s troubles and problems, and so obey our Lord’s command.” (The Living Bible)

The word translated as bear or carry has a multi-faceted meaning, such as to take up with the hands, to sustain, uphold, support or to carry on one's person to put upon one’s self. No doubt you have heard another argue, “I hear what you say, ….. but!” And in reality they have not heard what they wanted you to say.

This is so unlike the quote I recently read that said, “Empathy—your pain in my heart.” One psychologist put such listening means focusing on listening without planning your response. This keeps us present and allows the speaker to feel truly heard. Second, understand that sometimes listening is enough—don't feel obligated to fix the problem unless you're explicitly. Often, listening, even without taking action is healing.

Listening to others God's way means to actively and attentively listen to people with empathy and understanding, prioritising their needs and perspectives, just as Jesus did, demonstrating love and respect by truly hearing what they have to say without interrupting or judging, essentially putting yourself in their shoes to fully grasp their situation.

Lord Jesus,  you were ever ready to listen to those who cried out to you. You gave us ears to hear: help us to hear. May we listen to all we meet, and to those who come to us in trouble. Remind us daily that there is a time for silence and a time for speaking, and show us when to speak and when to hold our peace. Never let us miss a cry for help, because we are too busy talking about ourselves. Make us ready to listen to others,  because we listen each day in silence to you, O Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen

Daily Devotions

Authentic listening as a disciple of Jesus involves expressing confusion well.  It is so easy as a disciple of Jesus to have what I call a sudo-stance on the things of faith. It’s a bit like the primary school teacher saw one oh her class was wearing a Fitbit watch. This  prompted the teacher wife to ask, “Are you tracking your steps?” “No,” said the little girl. “I wear this for Mommy so she can show Daddy when he gets home.” 

The importance of authentic faith starts with authentic listening. Hebrews 2:3 puts it this way, “how shall we escape if we neglect such a great salvation, which was first declared by the Lord, and was confirmed to us by those who heard Him?”

Listening deeply, authentically, truthfully means silencing the noise, listening not just with your ears but with every sense you’ve got, every cell in your body. It means listening to all that is said and unsaid, to the body language, the tone, the eye movement. It’s full-body listening. This type of listening builds trust, opens doors, and offers a path to deep discovery and a sacred connection that forms the basis for new understandings and otherwise unimaginable possibilities.

Study after study shows in sector after sector—in medicine, marriage, real estate sales, and more—that true listening generates better results. And yet most of us go through our entire education without having learned how to do it.

The church is in the business of sharing the truth of Jesus authentically and this means first, sincere listening and truthful telling.

God of silence and God of all sound,
help me to listen.
Help me to do the deep listening 

to the sounds of my soul,
waiting to hear your soft voice 

calling me deeper into you.
Give me attentive ears
that begin to separate the noise 

from the sounds that are you;
you who have been speaking to me
and through me my whole life,
for so long that 

you can seem like background noise.
Today help me hear you anew. Amen

Daily Devotions

The next important principle of Christian listening is that It involves being open-minded and acknowledging that you may not know everything.

One of the Desert Fathers tells this story,  ‘An old man used to say, ‘If you see a man who has fallen into the water, and you can help him, stretch out your staff to him and draw him out, lest if you stretch your hand to him and you are not able to bring him up, he drags you down and both of you perish’. Now he spoke this for the sake of those who thrust themselves forward to help other people who are being tempted and who, through wishing to help others beyond their powers themselves fall. It is right for a man to help his brother according to the power he has, for God demands not from a man beyond his strength.’ 

Being open to God means actively allowing God to have full access to your life, thoughts, and emotions, essentially creating a space within yourself where you are receptive to His guidance, love, and influence, without resistance or closed-off areas; it involves honesty, vulnerability, and a willingness to listen to and follow His will. 

The assurance is found in 2 Timothy 1:7, where we read,”For God gave us a spirit not of fear but of power and love and self-control.”

Suppose a Dad takes his 2 year old to the surgery and the little one has an injection in the arm and it really hurts. The boy doesn’t understand that the shot is to keep him healthy. All he knows is that the vaccination hurt and daddy just stood there. Doesn’t dad know how bad a the injection hurts? Was Daddy unable to stop the nurse from giving me the injection? 

So the boy gets all his friends together and tells them how painful his the injection was and how powerless his dad was to stop it from happening. Is any of that true? Does his dad know how painful a vaccination was? Yes, of course, he’s had many himself. Was dad powerless to stop the injection? No, his dad brought him in for the vaccination and could have stopped it at any time. Doesn’t his dad care? Very much. He suffers to see his boy suffer, but he knows it’s for the child’s best. What’s the problem? The 2 year-old’s understanding is limited.

And as a child of God, my understanding is limited. And as much as a toddler’s understanding is limited in comparison to mine, so is my understanding limited in comparison to God.

God, give us the courage to be totally open, transparent and vulnerable in our prayer lives with you, so we can begin to be authentic in our relationships with others as well. Guide us to loving people, who it is safe to be ourselves with. Give us increasing courage to be real and put ourselves out there, so we can begin to experience the fullness of life. In Jesus name we pray, Amen. 

Daily Devotions

There are many ways of listening, especially as a disciple of Jesus Christ. I recently read that such attention  involves listening at a heart level. This means listening with empathy and emotional understanding. It means going beyond just the words spoken to truly grasp the feelings and intentions behind someone's message.  To do this requires  an open mind and a willingness to connect deeply with the another on a personal level. 

In the Bible, listening with the heart is a central aspect of discipleship and wisdom. It involves being attentive to God's voice, and being open to learning and growing. Two verses speak to the listening heart.

Proverbs 22:17: "Incline your ear and hear the words of the wise, And apply your heart to my knowledge" 

James 1:19: "My dear brothers and sisters, take note of this: Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry" 

How do we to apply  such listening wisdom? Here are some basic suggestions.

- Listen to the heartbeat of God through the Scriptures

- Listen to your own heartbeat

- Listen to God through your family, friends, and your community

- Listen to God's presence in the events and circumstances of your life

- Set time aside for prayer and contemplation

• Be intentional about your life with God

The instructions given to those attending synod in the Roman Catholic tradition says, “Listening to those who have the same views as we do bears no fruit. Dialogue involves coming together across diverse opinions. Indeed, God often speaks through the voices of those that we can easily exclude, cast aside, or discount. We must make a special effort to listen to those we may be tempted to see as unimportant and those who force us to consider new points of view that may change our way of thinking.”

Loving God, you speak to each one of us when we open our hearts to you. Let us be willing to take the time that is needed to sit with your Word and understand what it means for us today. Amen

Daily Devotions

“When you are praying, do not heap up empty phrases as the gentiles do, for they think that they will be heard because of their many words. Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him.” Matthew 6:7

Perhaps, the best prayer may be one of silence. Jesus own prayer hints at what feeds prayer - an attitude of praising God, desiring the kingdom of love, peace and justice to come on earth, trying to unite our desires with the desires of God for us and for the world, and to rest in our efforts to forgive others.

One spiritual teacher’s advice about learning to pray is to pray the Lord’s Prayer, and take an hour to say it. He continues, “There is no word or phrase in it which does not repay you if you mine it for meaning, and savour it: for instance Our – not just my father, for I share You with the human race. Is there anyone whom I feel uneasy to claim as a sister or brother? Take the prayer slowly, breathing slowly as you relish it and are led into its depths.”

A lot of religion and faith-practice is personal, known by few others. Jesus praises that, not that religion should not be public, but that it not be practiced for any reason other than for God and for the good of others. We pray because we need God, and we pray because God is God. Maybe you might offer prayer today for the praise and glory of God and no other reason.

Heavenly Father, thank You for the privilege of prayer and how I praise and thank You that You are a God Who hears and answers the cries of Your children. Keep me low at the Cross and broken before You, and help me to walk in spirit and truth all the days of my life. Teach me to pray into Your perfect will, and not yearn for the approval of others. In Jesus' name I pray, AMEN.

Daily Devotions

I recently read an article that included this paragraph, “If we listen in the stillness till our hearts begin to respond to what we are thinking and feeling about the matter in question, whether it concerns ourselves or others, we can, from that moment, begin praying downwards from the Throne, instead of praying upwards from ourselves.”

The Psalmist in 107:29-30 paints a wonderful word picture, “He stilled the storm to a whisper—the waves were hushed. They were glad when it became calm, and He led them to their desired haven.”

Perhaps one of the issues that the would be disciple faces of, having said their prayers and rounded it off with an  "Amen", we so often run away before God has a chance to reply. Listening to God is far more important than giving God our ideas. Is it because we are scared of the silence or possibly afraid of what God might want of us?

A father had a problem with one of his daughters, who was very shy and quiet; unable to express herself outwardly. The rest of the outgoing family were puzzled, bewildered and confused couldn’t understand her. One day, the father gave his quiet little daughter a present of elegant little glass elephant on a gold chain, to put around her neck. 

He put it down on the table in front of her and said, "I’ve brought you this present." She was overwhelmed as she stared at this beautiful thing. She sat there for several minutes, staring at this thing, unable to speak. Then she got up and went into the other room to try to tell her mother what had happened. 

When she came back she was thunderstruck because she saw her beautiful little elephant dangling from her sister’s neck. The father said, in a kind of offhanded way, "Well, you didn’t want it so I gave it to your sister." Didn’t want it? He wasn’t listening! He wasn’t listening to the joy of her silence.

Whispering God, who longs for us to hear your voice, and waits in the sheer silence for us to recognise your presence, meet me in this quiet moment. Silent my loud, tumultuous thoughts, and grant my brain rest. Help me let go of my distractions, and my desire to be distracted, to simply sit here with you. And, as the silence unsettles my spirit, let the waves of your peace and presence wash over me. Amen.  

Daily Devotions

To which voice do you listen? In Matthew 17:5 we read. “While he was still speaking, a bright cloud overshadowed them, and behold, a voice out of the cloud said, “This is My beloved Son, with whom I am well-pleased; listen to Him!”

God's voice still echoes, inviting us to listen to Jesus. The telling of this pivotal part of the gospel draws us into the presence of the  beloved son. We are invited to be close as were Peter, James and John but more than that we are called to listen to Jesus. 

The Greek verb for listen is "akouó". Whilst primarily this means to hear or listen; it encompasses both the physical act of hearing and the deeper understanding or comprehension of what is heard. In the New Testament, "akouó" is often used to describe the act of hearing the word of God, the teachings of Jesus, or the message of the Gospel. It implies not just auditory reception but also an attentive and obedient response to what is heard.

Henri Nouwen, a Dutch Catholic priest, professor, writer and theologian once described the difference between listening and obedience in this way. “The word 'obedience,' he said, “comes from the Latin obaudire, which means 'to hear.' By contrast the Latin word for 'deaf' is absurdus, from which we get our word 'absurd.' To truly hear Christ is to obey him; not to hear and obey is the way of absurdity in living.”

Reveal your presence to us this day,

O God of light, love, and glory.

As you did to your servants at the foot of the mountain,

send your Spirit to show us your story.

May the brilliance of your face

illuminate this place

as we dare to proclaim your Word

and may we, your people, be never unable

to tell all of that we have heard. Amen

Daily Devotions

Do you ever find your mind wondering or drifting off into one thought that leads to another and disturbs your focus from that which should be holding our attention? For over 160 times Paul directs and redirects our attention to what is the essentials of faith.  In essence, what Paul is teaching the church is that when the Spirit of God grabs our attention so unmistakably, we should listen.

Paul writing to Timothy said, “Cultivate these things. Immerse yourself in them. The people will all see you mature right before their eyes! Keep a firm grasp on both your character and your teaching. Don’t be diverted. Just keep at it. Both you and those who hear you will experience salvation.” (1 Timothy 4:15)

I recently read that the very essence of staying focused is the avoidance of distractions. The culprit is not the obvious, but the subtle. The diversions we most easily rationalise are the most dangerous.

A little boy was told by his father to wait on a corner by a department store, while the father had a tire changed on his car. It turned out that the car required more attention than the man had anticipated, and it took over an hour.

The father anxiously hurried back to get his little boy, and found the little fellow right where he had told him to stay. He said to the boy, "Did you think your daddy had forgotten about you?" "Oh, no," was the reply, accompanied by a smile of perfect trust, "I knew you would come just as soon as you could. I wasn't a bit worried. I stayed where you told me, and waited, and watched for you."

Isaiah 26 has the words, “People with their minds set on you, you keep completely whole, Steady on their feet, because they keep at it and don’t quit. Depend on God and keep at it because in the Lord God you have a sure thing.” (The Message)

Father, thank You that there is a place in my mind where I can stay my thoughts on You and abide in peace. Help me to declutter my mind of all the negative thoughts that have gotten in. I will do my part to stay in faith and let You step in and do Your part. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.

Daily Devotions

In 1 King’s 3:9 we come across a fascinating prayer, “Here’s what I want: Give me a God-listening heart so I can lead your people well, discerning the difference between good and evil.” (The Message)

Whilst a poetical turn of phrase there is a depth in this concept of a listening heart.;

I adore the sound of the words "listening heart," whether they are read aloud or uttered. They bring to mind a peaceful moment, a place where you may hear and listen to what God is saying to you. These moments can occur during storms, when thunder roars all around you, or during the quiet of a dawn. We have taken the time to just "be" and cosy up in God's arms during these incredibly unique and meaningful times.

However, the listening heart is much more than that. In order to hear God's voice, we must also listen to the suffering that goes unheard in other people's hearts.We must pay attention to the throbbing of another person's heart as well as the muted screams of people who suffer—often in silence—and who conceal their anguish from everyone else.

We must tune our "listening heart" to recognise the need for God's love to be demonstrated to people through us, regardless of what we are doing or where we are.

A listening heart knows how to be sensitive to God’s presence. It is built on a basic trust in God’s faithfulness and to his willingness to communicate himself: it is indeed possible to seek and find what is God’s project for me.

Listening God, you hear us when we cannot speak,

when despair and turmoil leave us faint and weak.

In love you call us back to you again

and your grace reminds us how you feel our pain

God we praise you that you’re a listening God, 

you listen to the cry of your people across the world. 

Come to us in our pain and in our despair 

and clothe us in the garments of love. Amen

Daily Devotions

The prophet Isaiah is perhaps the original Satnav voice. In chapter 30:21 we find him directing, “Whether you turn to the right or to the left, your ears will hear a voice behind you, saying, ‘This is the way; walk in it.”

There was a great Presbyterian clergyman and hymn writer, called Rev'd. Maltbie Davenport Babcock (1858 - 1901) who once wrote:

"Christianity is not a voice in the wilderness but a life in the world. It is not an idea in the air but feet on the ground, going God's way. It is not an exotic to be kept under glass, but a hardy plant to bear twelve months of fruits in all kinds of weather. Fidelity to duty is its root and branch. Nothing we can say to the Lord, no calling Him by great or dear names, can take the place of the plain doing of His will. We may cry out about the beauty of of eating bread with Him in His Kingdom, but it is wasted breath and a rootless hope, unless we plow and plant in His Kingdom here and now. To remember Him at His table and to forget Him at ours, is to have invested in bad securities. There is no substitute for plain, every-day goodness."

The late great writer of religious and inspirational poetry, Helen Steiner Rice (1900 - 1981), added her spin on this by saying, "Show me the way, not to fortune or fame, not to win laurels or praise for my name...But show me the way to spread the great story that Thine is the Kingdom, the Power, and the Glory."

In Isaiah's words words there is an order to finding our feet on the right path.  Our listening antenna must always be switched to receive, regardless of where we find ourselves and even in the most obscure of circumstances we will find the ways of God. For didn't Jesus explain this completely when he said “Jesus said, “I am the Road, also the Truth, also the Life. No one gets to the Father apart from me.” John 14:6 (the Message)

Dear Lord Jesus, thank you for being the way, the truth, and the life. I pray that you guide me on the path that leads to the Father. Help me to always seek your truth and to follow your teachings. I know that without you, I cannot come to the Father, so I ask for your grace and mercy to be with me always. Amen