On Listening and Waiting

Have you ever looked around outside of yourself and wondered, "What am I doing?" Maybe you've watched family and friends move on, move forward, and make progress, while you, on the other hand, seem to be standing still. Perhaps you're in that season of life where everyone and eveything around you are in chaotic motion while everything within you is quietly still and waiting...

And in all that waiting and vacuum of sound, you begin to listen. As the clamor of others' voices, plans, opinions, and your own soulish desires fade to the background, one Voice begins to arise. It starts off ever so softly - barely above a whisper - and with each passing moment of stillness, it becomes louder and clearer. Always gentle, always firm, always sweet... it beckons you to listen and cherish its sound.

That Voice has become so familiar to me in this seemingly uncelebrated chapter of life. So many others are moving and progressing, yet for this moment in time, my Father God has me standing still to listen. Observing life and excitement all around me, I sometimes wonder when it will be my turn. But something inside says, "Cherish these days, for you are receiving of My heart."

There is something to be said about making time to hear the Father's voice, to know His plan, and to be driven by His desires. These quiet, unnoticed, and hidden times are often uncomfortable, for they place us in direct contact with ourselves and the will of God. Sometimes, the picture isn't as pretty as we would like, only because we see flaws in ourselves that the Holy Spirit is working in us to overcome. Other times, the small glimpses we get of our future are breathtaking as we realize we are about to encouter greatness. And everytime that Voice is heard, we are forever changed.

Yes, it is my quiet season in life. My job is in transition, my friends are moving on in life with their own families, and the dreams in my heart sometime seem so far away. To those who know me well and know me little, it may seem like my shoes are melted in sticky ooze that hinders my running. But if you'll take a deeper look, you'll notice a priceless movement...listening.

This listening season, however quiet and outwardly motionless, has left me forever transformed. Purified desires, new dreams, deeper compassion, surprising direction, and the revelation of the most precious secrets - these have been the rewards of taking time to immerse myself in that quiet season of listening and waiting. The days in this season are numbered, for it will soon be time to start putting motion to what I've heard. But in the hours that remain, I will listen intently, closely, and with passion... and then I will run with fire.