Listening for God's Voice
To hear God's voice, we must learn to be attentive and quiet, recognizing His presence in all things and taking time for devotional silence and contemplation.
Mary Wilder Tileston, through the words of Gerhard Tersteegen, emphasizes the importance of actively listening to God's voice in prayer and in moments of quiet waiting, recognizing that God is always speaking to us. She highlights the need to be attentive and seek God's presence in all things, not just during formal prayers, in order to receive His special confidences for each soul. Tileston encourages believers to hearken to the Lord's voice and to engage in deep devotional silence and contemplation to receive the deepest truths from God.
Text
I will hear what God the Lord will speak; for He will speak peace unto His people.
PSALMS 85:8
Now, 0 my God,
My comfort, portion, rest!
Thou, none but Thou, shalt reign within my breast.
Call me to Thee! call me Thyself--oh, speak,
And bind my heart to Thee, whom most I seek!
GERHARD TERSTEEGEN
JUST as in prayer it is not we who momentarily catch His attention, but He ours, so when we fail to hear His voice, it is not because He is not speaking so much as that we are not listening. We must recognize that all things are in God and that God is in all things, and we must learn to be very attentive, in order to bear God speaking in His ordinary tone without any special accent. A man must not stop listening any more than praying when he rises from his knees. No one questions the need of times of formal address to God, but few admit in any practical way the need of quiet waiting upon God, gazing into His face, feeling for His hand, listening for His voice. "I will hearken what the Lord God will say concerning me." God has special confidences for each soul. Indeed, it would seem as though the deepest truths came only in moments of profound devotional silence and contemplation.
CHARLES H. BRENT
Sermon Outline
- Recognizing God's Presence
- The Importance of Quiet Waiting
- Listening for God's Voice
- God has special confidences for each soul
- Deepest truths come in moments of profound silence
Key Quotes
“Just as in prayer it is not we who momentarily catch His attention, but He ours, so when we fail to hear His voice, it is not because He is not speaking so much as that we are not listening.” — Mary Wilder Tileston
“God has special confidences for each soul.” — Mary Wilder Tileston
“Indeed, it would seem as though the deepest truths came only in moments of profound devotional silence and contemplation.” — Mary Wilder Tileston
Application Points
- Make a conscious effort to be attentive and quiet before God, recognizing His presence in all things.
- Set aside time for devotional silence and contemplation to hear God's voice and receive special confidences.
- Don't stop listening to God's voice just because you've finished formal prayer; continue to seek Him in quiet waiting.