Week 3: Listening to the Father
Listen to Who He is,not just What He says
Week 3, Day 2
Be still and know that He is God.
Cease striving.
Stop fighting.
Psalm 46:10 expresses each of these sentiments. God is in control. And if we will be still, cease striving, and stop fighting, we will know and remember that He is God.
However, my spirit is often far from still. I feel anxious. Questioning. Doubtful. Focused on listening to the Father’s voice, I have been disturbed by some of what I hear. Have I been so focused on my own thoughts and driven by my own desires—an interpretation of what I think God’s will is for my life—that I have ceased listening? Henri Nouwen said, “How sad it is that thinking often makes prayers cease.” And prayer is listening as much or more than it is speaking.
So I will be still. I will cease striving. I will stop fighting the war within me.
And I will KNOW that He is God.
Most of you know that I love languages. I call Spanish my nerdy passion and I enjoying being able to explore other cultures through their use of language. There are some words that are more easily expressed in one language than another. And some words we don’t attempt to say in our own language, but rather borrow them from another, like “bon appétit,” or “quesadilla.” Not all borrowed words refer to foods, like “déjà vu,” or “Colorado” (meaning red-colored, a description of the river that runs through that state). We are going to look at a Hebrew word and then two Spanish words as we listen to and come to know God today.
Notice that the following two translations of Exodus 14:14 interpret the final Hebrew word differently.
Exodus 14:14 (ESV)
14 The LORD will fight for you, and you have only to be silent.
Exodus 14:14 (NIV)
14 The LORD will fight for you; you need only to be still.
No words. No movement. The Hebrew captures the concept of stillness and silence in one word: charash. What is the correlation between being silent and being still?
Having presented the correlation between stillness and silence in listening to and coming to know God, I want to introduce you to two different Spanish words for “to know.” Their distinct meanings will help highlight an important aspect of knowing God. Saber is to know facts. Conocer is to know personally. If you were to make a list of the top ten characteristics of God, what would your list look like?
While many of us would give a Sunday-school answer and be completely correct in our description, there is a difference between saying that we know something about God (saber) and knowing intimately that aspect of God through relationship or personal experience (conocer). I know (saber) that God is the author of Scripture, but have I gotten to know (conocer) the living breathing Word of God? I know (saber) that God is good, but how have I come to know (conocer) His goodness? I may know a lot of things about God (saber), but am I intimately walking with Him in communication and relationship in order to know Him more (conocer)?
Now that we have looked at various aspects of the concepts: “being still” and “knowing,” how can you “Be still and know that He is God” today?
Additional notes, drawings or thoughts from listening to the Father:
We would love to hear from you! Please share with us what you are hearing and how you are growing in your devotion to listening.
This blog post is taken from the book Called to Listen: Forty Days of Devotion. To order a copy of this book, please visit our website and invite a friend to participate in the study with you. The book includes additional guides and questions to be reviewed in a small group context weekly.