Listening for God

This past weekend I was privileged to teach at the Fall European Singles Retreat (ESR) in Gemünden, Germany. As I mentioned to someone who asked - I taught in English, not in German. The retreat is for singles from around Europe. We had people there from Germany, Romania, Belgium, Netherlands and the US. There were three people who had never attended before and had found the information at the website. The theme was “Listening for God”. 

What a challenge to think about how we listen for God, why we want to listen for God and what that looks like. In the end we also talked about how - even if we can hear God, are we listening “to” Him? This group had lots of questions and good and intense conversation time - especially at the campfire on the Saturday evening. But it is also a group that likes to laugh. 

I have always enjoyed being able to be with this group. Singles are at a different season in their life and have different questions in their walk with God. The Single’s Retreat has always been a good place to share those questions and encourage one another in faith. 

The first morning I went out for a walk as the sun was rising. I love walking in this area. The campground where the retreat is held is in the middle of the German hills. I am usually here in February for a different Bible study week, so seeing the trees with leaves was a bit different. But the beautiful quiet, the birdsong and blanket of silent mist, the peacefulness remains the same. 

God wants us to walk with Him. The most important thing that we can hear, and that he continuously tells us, is that He want to have a relationship with us. HE is making this possible. If we are listening, He continues to say this. He tells us through people (I am telling you right now), through the beauty of His nature, through songs that we hear and sing and through our conscience and minds that have been filled with His words. It is not that God is not speaking. It is that we need to listen. We can check what we hear by comparing it to His words in the Bible. 

And when we hear God - “Please come to me. Follow me. Turn around. Don’t fear, I am here. I am the mighty one. You can have true, abundant life in ME.” - we can truly listen “to” Him and do what is good and right and precious. Then we will truly be listening. Are you listening?

“Why do you call me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ and do not do what I say? As for everyone who comes to me and hears my words and puts them into practice, I will show you what they are like. They are like a man building a house, who dug down deep and laid the foundation on rock. When a flood came, the torrent struck that house but could not shake it, because it was well built. But the one who hears my words and does not put them into practice is like a man who built a house on the ground without a foundation. The moment the torrent struck that house, it collapsed and its destruction was complete.”  Luke 6:46-49