Welcome back to life group this week!
On Sunday, we took the “What Keeps Me From Listening” quiz. How did you do? Here were your options:
- My life is too loud
- my doubt is too high
- I long for other things
Of those three options? Which ones are you? Why? How is your life, your faith, your longing the way it is?
Why do you think we are so susceptible to these distractions from Him?
Mark Batterson says that “if you aren’t willing to listen to everything God says, you eventually won’t hear anything he says.”
Work that out a little. What do you think he is saying there? Do you agree or disagree? Why?
The Latin word for “obedience” is obedire, which is literally translated, “to give ear.” Obedience to God starts with a pierced ear. James, the brother of Jesus, had a thought about this…
Understand this, my dear brothers and sisters: You must all be quick to listen, slow to speak, and slow to get angry. Human anger does not produce the righteousness God desires. So get rid of all the filth and evil in your lives, and humbly accept the word God has planted in your hearts, for it has the power to save your souls. But don’t just listen to God’s word. You must do what it says. Otherwise, you are only fooling yourselves. For if you listen to the word and don’t obey, it is like glancing at your face in a mirror. You see yourself, walk away, and forget what you look like. But if you look carefully into the perfect law that sets you free, and if you do what it says and don’t forget what you heard, then God will bless you for doing it.
James 1:19-25 (NLT)
The Whispering Spot
Did you know that before the temple, there was a tent of meeting? It was a special place where God dwelled, and where he spoke to Moses, Israel’s leader. Moses pitched this tent outside of camp. Why do you think he put it out there? I think maybe he wanted to be out of earshot. Maybe he was tired of the Israelites’ incessant grumbling, complaining, and murmuring, and he desperately needed a quiet place—a whispering spot. Moses is the lead actor in this story, but there is an interesting extra scene at the very end…
Inside the Tent of Meeting, the Lord would speak to Moses face to face, as one speaks to a friend. Afterward Moses would return to the camp, but the young man who assisted him, Joshua son of Nun, would remain behind in the Tent of Meeting.
Exodus 33:11 (NLT)
Have you ever wondered why God chose Joshua to succeed Moses? For starters, he was one of the two spies who brought back a positive report when the Israelites first explored Canaan. The other ten spies, who had very loud voices, brought back negative reports. The people listened to the wrong voices, and it cost them forty years!
Joshua was intentional to be available to God at the whispering spot. He heard God’s voice, and that voice influenced his own voice.
Do you have a whispering spot? Someplace where God can speak to you?
Why do we expect to hear from God if we don’t have a time and place established? Can you imagine planning to have a meeting with a friend “wherever, and whenever?” That meeting will never happen!
For me, my whispering spot is early in the morning on the green chair in my home office upstairs. It is the place I can sip a little coffee and spend time with God. I love this spot. My wife’s adorable little dog loves it also.
Do you have a whispering spot? What would it take for you to set up a regular, recurring meeting with God? Don’t start off with trying to meet with him seven days a week… Start small! Maybe just two or three times your first week. Talk with your group about how that might work.