Listening to God Effectively

One man said, if you can sit I a deer stand for hours waiting on a deer that might come, you can sit in a pew for a 45 minutes sermon waiting on a good point that might come. And then wait again. Not a perfect analogy because you don’t deer hunt every week, but there is a point.

Listening and hearing.

1. In preaching, a variety of messages are needed for a variety of learners.

2. There may be nothing new you hear but perhaps it is still needful. Maybe it’s a reminder.

3. Maybe there’s something you missed in a passage before that you now catch

4. Always be thinking about the meaning of what you are hearing in your life going forward.

Let’s Illuminate a few passages:

Isa 9:1-4. This is what God still does, this does not just apply to Israel. People who walk in darkness - that is us at times.

Isa 54:11-17. Another picture of future hope. The words from the song The Battle Belongs to the Lord come from this passage. The words still applies to us today.

Lam. 3:22-25. It’s very hard for us to feel the depth of Jeremiah’s pain. His home, God’s city, all demolished. Strife among the remnant. But he still has hope. When your world is turned completely upside down, you still have the Lord’s loving kindness.

Sometimes in the midst of our pain and suffering we fail to see how life is affecting us. But God has great plans, big things, even better things.

Psalm 60:4,5. God unfolds the banner for His people.

60:11-12. Through God we shall do valiantly and it is He who will tread down our adversaries.

We have a great God fighting for us, fighting with us and leading us to victory.