A difficult summer… until I heard from God
Summer 2023 was difficult.
While some really good things happened, in between was a bit naff. I was I was ill for a while, lots of people failed to respond to my messages when I reached out, I finished my job and life began to feel purposeless. This combination of circumstances meant I felt alone, sad and unloved.
But then God intervened.
Amid tears and feelings of isolation I realised I’d not been spending time with Him and needed to create space for this. I badly needed His guidance, needed to pause and listen to God properly. And what would be the best way for me to do this? Getting outside of course. So I made my move…
With Bible, notebook and pen in hand I took a slow walk from park to park searching out green spaces. I sat on benches and was still. I felt the wind lightly touching my face and leaves rustling all around, the sun warm on my skin. And I asked, “Holy Spirit, are you here? What should I do?”
Then God spoke. Well, more of a thought really: “You shouldn’t be alone with all this. Talk to someone.” And the names of two friends popped into my head.
I had heard from God.
Choosing to listen to God
Being in Creation helped me hear God even amongst the clamour of my overwhelmed and tired brain. It cleared my head and let me focus on Him.
But I did have to choose to make the space to hear from God. So often we feel awful and defeated, and He’s the last person on our minds. In my case it took getting to a really low point for me to realise I hadn’t spent quality time with Him in ages. Yes, I’d been asking Him to move, to help me see the next step (although rather halfheartedly if I’m honest). But I hadn’t stopped to listen.
I also chose to put myself somewhere I knew God was likely to get through to me – in Creation. And when I did, that’s when things changed…
I ended up supping tea in the garden with two good Christian friends who were in a position to offer me wise advice. And I remembered I wasn’t alone but actually part of a beautiful, amazing community. As soon as my friends had heard me properly (they were good at listening – yay 😊) I felt loved again and re-realised my purpose is simply to continue doing what God wants me to do. And nothing can get in the way of that when I seek Him.
But honestly, talking it through with someone was really all I needed. Why oh why couldn’t I do this before?!
So I say to you, please, listen to God
- Listening to God is important. You may pray a lot, asking for things, which is fine. He wants us to. But if you don’t listen for His answer how exactly will you be able to hear him?
- The time to listen is often when we least feel like it. Or even when we can’t. So why not earmark some space while you feel good and have time? Perhaps now? Then it’s less likely that things will get so bad that you can’t listen at all.*
And you’re in good company. Jesus was intentional about setting time aside to listen to his Father:
“Jesus often withdrew to the wilderness for prayer” – Luke 5:16 (NLT)
He also instructed the people to pray without babbling on (Matt 6:5-8) which suggests he advocated time to listen too. And you know, only from a place of listening could Jesus speak and act meaningfully and transformationally. He gained purpose by hearing his Father then acting on His will.
The same is true for us. Only by listening to God, then obeying Him was my situation transformed. when I sought out my two friends, after that I started living meaningfully again.
How has God transformed your life recently or any time in the past? How is He transforming it now? Was it the result of you listening to Him properly? Do share in the comments below 👇🏼
[*Note: Sometimes this happens to us all – we genuinely can’t listen due to particular circumstances. But that’s where Christian friends come in – other people to pray and listen for you. If you’re struggling, tell them your situation and they will intervene. We’re a body of believers connected to one another for a reason and God will NOT let you sink.]