Listening...

Through our evening worship time here at home, the Lord has been speaking a great deal to our family about "listening". Kyle has been encouraging all of us to stop, be still and listen...the Lord has so much for us but amidst all of the busyness and noise that surrounds us in life, we miss so much!

I love when God confirms Himself so this morning as I opened 'My Utmost For His Highest' by Oswald Chambers (a daily read for three of us here in our home), my heart was blessed, encouraged and challenged.

Called By God

"I heard the voice of the Lord, saying: 'Whom shall I send, and who will go for Us?'
Then I said, 'Here am I! Send me.'" Isaiah 6:8

God did not direct His call to Isaiah--Isaiah overheard God saying, "...who will go for Us?" The call of God is not just for a select few but for everyone. Whether I hear God's call or not depends on the condition of my ears, and exactly what I hear depends upon my spiritual attitude. "Many are called, but few are chosen" (Matthew 22:14). That is, few prove that they are the chosen ones. The chosen ones are those who have come into a relationship with God through Jesus Christ and have had their spiritual condition changed and their ears opened. Then they hear "the voice of the Lord" continually asking, "...who will go for Us?" However, God doesn't single out someone and say, "Now, you go." He did not force His will on Isaiah. Isaiah was in the presence of God, and he overheard the call. His response, performed in complete freedom, could only be to say, "Here am I! Send me."

Remove the thought from your mind of expecting God to come to force you or to plead with you. When our Lord called His disciples, He did it without irresistible pressure from the outside. The quiet, yet passionate, insistence of His "Follow Me" was spoken to men whose every sense was receptive (Matthew 4:19). If we allow the Holy Spirit to bring us face to face with God, we too will hear what Isaiah heard--"the voice of the Lord." In perfect freedom we too will say, "Here am I! Send me."

After I read this the Lord prompted some questions for me to consider, ponder and meditate on...as with most questions that the Lord asks me, I find myself challenged...

*What is the condition of my ears?
*What is my spiritual attitude?
*Is my every sense receptive?
*When I am in God's presence do I overhear Him?
*Am I in tune to the voice of the Holy Spirit?

Oh God I desire to see you, to hear you, to know you! I desire to be receptive to Your call! I desire for my attitude to be one of humility and eagerness! I desire to do Your will!