Psalm 27:4
One thing I have asked of the LORD, this is what I desire: to dwell in the house of the LORD all the days of my life, to gaze on the beauty of the LORD and seek Him in His temple.
Despite the hundreds of authors featured here, I have only two devotionals which I personally subscribe to, and one which I read online. One of the daily emails is titled “Breakfast of Champions” by Andy and Gina Elmes. To get these sent to you by email, go to Great Big Life and click on Breakfast of Champions.
Don’t miss what she says here about posture. It’s a part of the Mary/Martha story that’s so obvious we can totally miss it. Especially at Christmas, when we’re all so very… busy!
The posture of a listening heart
Luke 10:42, The Truth version
Only one thing is really important and this is what Mary is doing. So I won’t deprive her of what is most important: to listen to what I say!
by Gina Elmes
My 10-year-old daughter was given a really unique devotional which she asked if I would read with her at night before bed. The book teaches how to be sensitive to the Holy Spirit and to listen out for the often still, small voice of God. It is a highly interactive devotional, filled with exercises in listening for God’s voice. We began reading this book and then we would come to the interactive part where we speak to God and ask Him a question such as, “Who do I need to encourage tomorrow, Lord, and what would you like me to say to them?” Then we wait for a few minutes listening to what the Lord says to our heart.
My daughter and I would close our eyes and we would wait, and my head was so full of the stuff of the day that I found this exercise really difficult! I had plans and lists and ‘to do’ stuff and recipes and ‘don’t forget’s’ all flying around inside my chaotic mind that I found it hard to listen for the voice of God. My daughter, on the other hand, would hardly close her eyes when she would say, “I’m done! He talked to me and I know just who needs encouragement and I know what I need to tell them.”
Night after night this happened and the things she was hearing from God were amazing, and I was struggling to hear anything. I was reflecting on this one morning when I recalled Luke 10:38-42, which gives the account of Mary and Martha. Martha was the busy one preparing the meal and getting everything perfect for her guests, and Mary was found sitting at the feet of Jesus, listening to all He had to say. The more I read this account the more I realize it is not so much about lessening our busy schedules as much as it is about the posture of our listening heart.
I have so many responsibilities and I can’t see that changing any time soon, but I can learn better to incline my ear to His voice wherever I am and whatever I’m doing. Somebody in the Mary/Martha scenario had to cook lunch after all! Jesus isn’t advocating laziness, but He is commending Mary’s desire to be always listening to Him and this will always be the better part of anything we do. Somehow, in the busy-ness of life, I had lost the posture of a listening heart; forgetting that God desires to have a relationship with me all day, not just in the moments I call ‘quiet time’. Now, when I’m busy with the everyday stuff of life, I use these opportunities to talk to God and for Him to talk to me.
I still set regular times for myself to solely focus on God but now even when driving, cooking, walking the dog, cleaning out a closet, these have all become opportunities for me to lift my ear to heaven and hear the One who desires an audience with me, and I have found that I can learn to hear Him over the loudness of everyday life when I make a practice of purposely posturing my heart to hear Him.
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