Revelation 2:7

[The risen Lord says:] “Anyone with ears to hear must listen to the Spirit and understand what he is saying to the churches.”

All seven of the letters to the churches end with these words. They make it clear that the letters have been written not merely to them specifically but to anyone with the ability to listen. They are the words of the Spirit, words of life for anyone who will hear them.

Tuning our ears into the voice of the Spirit is vital for all of us. The Holy Spirit is the source of life and wisdom, and without him we will never be able to discern God’s will. However, his voice is only one of the innumerable voices with which we are continually bombarded. Listening to the Spirit is an activity which will only take place when we deliberately give him our attention.

Most people don’t listen with the intention of understanding, but of replying. We are all looking for the opportunity to share what matters to us and often have no real interest in what the other person has to say. True listening is when we give our full attention to the speaker with the intention of receiving openly and humbly whatever they have to say.

The Holy Spirit’s words will always be full of truth. Listening to them will often be challenging and sometimes painful, but they will always bring us life. He does want to hear from us as well, and in our prayers we should certainly bring our concerns to him, but we also need to ensure that we are good at not speaking. He wants us to be quiet in his presence, and that’s where we so often fall down. Our prayers are so full of noise that there is no space for him to share his wisdom and truth.

Mother Teresa once said: “God speaks in the silence of the heart. Listening is the beginning of prayer.” The advice that many of us may need to receive in prayer is to speak less and listen more so that we can truly hear what the Spirit is trying to say.

Question

How good are you at listening to the voice of the Spirit, and what could you do that would help you to listen more carefully?

Prayer

Holy Spirit, thank you for loving me so much that you want to speak with me. Help me to listen carefully to your voice today. Amen