listen

Come, all you who are thirsty, come to the waters; and you who have no money, come buy and eat!  Come, buy wine and milk without money and without cost.  Why spend money on what is not bread, and your labor on what does not satisfy?  Listen, listen to me and eat what is good, and your soul will delight in the richest of fare.  Give ear to me and come to me; listen, that you may live. ~Isaiah 55:1-3


I am becoming more and more convinced that listening to God is one of the most important practices in all of the spiritual life.  I am also becoming more and more convinced that it is something we do far too seldom.  Maybe it's because we are afraid that if we really try to listen to God, he will not say anything, which will lead us to doubt, hopelessness, and despair.  Or maybe, on the other hand, we are afraid that he will say something, but not the something we were hoping to hear.  In either case we cannot deny the importance of the practice.  It is mentioned so frequently in the Scriptures.  For it is in the listening, and then in the hearing, that we find life.

So today I asked myself (or maybe God asked me, come to think of it), "What do I think God is trying to say to me today?"  And here was the reply: "Relax.  Stop trying so hard.  Find rest in me.  Unburden yourself.  Live at peace in me.  Breathe.  Be free."  Now that's something worth listening to!