HEARING HIS VOICE
1 Sam 15:22
"Does the Lord delight in burnt offerings ...as much as in obeying the voice of the Lord? To obey is better than sacrifice..."
In elk hunting during the rut we often stand on a high vantage point and listen for a bull to bugle. It's a sure sign of where an elk is. But often I've found that as I'm walking through the mountains, if I'm quiet and really paying attention and listening, I'll hear the soft call of a cow or calf elk. Generally if it's early in fall, if you find a cow elk there will be a bull near her. To hear the soft sounds of cows and calves you have to listen carefully as they make gentle and quiet calls.
My brother Dave was guiding a friend when the friend stopped and said, "I just heard a cow ". My brother told him, " it was just a bird". Our friend insisted so Dave made a cow call and instantly a bull answered very close. Within seconds the bull was on top of them and the friend harvested a great bull
So often in life we hear a soft prompting, and we get a feeling that we should give someone a call and check on them. Then we go about our day and forget about it. We often miss opportunities to bless someone with something as simple as a quick phone call or we miss a blessing God has waiting for us.
When someone comes to mind I try to stop and dial their number... Or send an email, text or just swing into their driveway. To me when I get that prompt, I know that it's God wanting me to reach out to someone. They might have some need or worse case we just get a chance to visit for a minute.
Most of us have a hearing problem. The problem isn't hearing the loud noises, it's hearing the still, small voice of the Holy Spirit. If God tells us to call someone late at night; to give someone the money in our pocket or to offer to stop and pray for someone about something very specific that we couldn't have known, we need to listen and obey. God wants to know we are willing to listen. God doesn't need us to do His work, He's fully capable without us, but He wants us to listen and work with Him.
Charles Stanley said, "Often times God wants us to sit before Him in quietness and listen. He doesn't want us to do all the talking." As Isaiah 30:15 says "In quiet and confidence will be your strength."
John 10:27, "My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me."
Listen to God's still small voice, you never know when you will be called on to make a difference in someone's life.
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