Listening, we all have to do it sometime. It is something that is hard to do because we may get so caught up in our own thoughts that we don't take the time to really listen to others.

The thing is that listening to God is something we do even less. Do you pray and just get up and go about your business? Praying is often asking a question of God. But yet a lot of us just get up after prayer if we are sitting or kneeling and go about our daily lives without even realizing that we need to take the time to listen.

But if we are going to ask a question, wouldn't it stand to reason that we should take some extra time and stay where we are so that God can give us an idea of some kind that might be an answer to prayer.

Luke 2:46-47 Now so it was that after three days they found Him in the temple, sitting in the midst of the teachers, both listening to them and asking them questions. 47 And all who heard Him were astonished at His understanding and answers. NKJV

Life can get so hectic. It makes you want to scream sometimes. Racing here and there hoping you will make that meeting on time. Or maybe you are on your way home from work, you pick up your five year old at day care. Then you get stuck on the freeway because of a sig alert. Then when traffic picks up and you are on your way again, your son needs to go potty and you are still miles from home. So you get off the freeway, pulling your hair out a little on the way. You get on a surface street and there is a pile up because the light is blinking. You tell your son to hold it, and he starts crying. You finally get over to the gas station at the corner, park, get out, grab your son from the back seat, rush him to the bathroom only to find the bathroom toilet overflowing. It smells bad, and your son ends up going in his pants instead and on the new dress you just bought for that all important date tonight.

Sound familiar? And after all that happens to you, some guy tells you to take the time after prayer to listen to God, and you say, "Hey buddy, do you have any kids?"

But the thing is that not listening to God makes times like the one mentioned before quite unbearable. But what if that woman (with her eyes open) prayed while she was caught in the sig alert on the freeway and decided to take a brief moment to listen while she drove to possibly the next off-ramp that God might have pointed her to in His own subtle way, where there is very little traffic and the house your date lives in is almost next to the freeway. You stop in, ask if your son can use his restroom, he says yes. He notices you are in your dress and tells you his babysitter can also sit for your son, and then off you go on your date with more time with Him than you thought possible.

Isaiah 51:7 "Listen to Me, you who know righteousness, You people in whose heart is My law: Do not fear the reproach of men, Nor be afraid of their insults. NKJV

Now I realize this fictitious story might be a little far-fetched, but then with God all things are possible. You never know, at least beforehand, what might happen if you decide to listen to what God has to tell you after prayer. The story in the previous paragraph may have been a true story for someone, you never know.

By listening, let me share a story about something that happened to me after prayer and I decided to listen to God.

I asked God to help me write down an answer to prayer. I took a note pad after prayer and I wrote down 'yellow' and part of a word, which was "marl." Then I thought 'marl' what. A few thoughts came to mind, then I thought "Marilyn," who is a relative of mine. Then I thought Maryland. Maryland seemed to become stronger in my mind. I wondered if Maryland was something or someplace of significance in my life, then I looked out the window and the sun peaked out of the overcast skies and shown brighter.

The next day, Friday, I was going to have lunch brought in at work from a cousin who goes to a Mexican take-out place. I ordered a burrito that cost $3.15. I gave my cousin three one dollar bills and a quarter, which I randomly fetched from my pants pocket, and told him to keep the change. My cousin looked briefly at the quarter and said, "I wonder what state is on this quarter?" He turned it over and it said, "Maryland." Wow, I thought, what a coincidence. I looked in my pocket and I found 7 other quarters, none of which had states on them. On Saturday morning, I contemplated what the meaning of this coincidence was. I remembered a college catalog on my bookshelf and took it off the shelf and realized it was for on-line degree programs from the University of Maryland. This catalog I had just received several days ago.

I wondered if this was a sign from God that I was supposed to take a class(es) from this university. I then got on my hands and knees and asked God for a sign, if this was true. As soon as I got back into my chair, I looked out my back bedroom window and my sight was caught on this one small single leaf on the tree in my backyard. The leaf was yellow, and all the other leaves were green. I started crying, because I thought God was answering my prayer.

Later, on Sunday, I asked God for another sign. That afternoon, I had invited my parents over for some lunch. I told them of the coincidences and I specifically mentioned 'Maryland.' My dad said, that during WWII, he had dated a woman several times that was from Maryland. "Interesting," I said. And just for the heck of it, I asked him what her name was, and he said her last name was "Birch". The tree in my backyard with the one single small yellow leaf is a birch tree.

I later attended a journalism course through University of Maryland. But I found it wasn't quite what I was interested in at the time. I decided to attend another university, and this time I felt I had more energy to complete my Bachelors Degree in Marketing which I finished about 2 to 3 years later.

So I felt that God was pointing me in a direction I needed to go. Maybe the answer wasn't as clear as it could have been to me, but it made me realize that God wasn't giving me direct answers but subtle clues here and there. It is like the old saying, "God works in mysterious ways." Sometimes He does, but then that is what makes life so interesting sometimes.

So next time you are feeling down and you need some answers, don't forget to take the time to listen to God. You may be amazed at what you may find out.

Prayer: Dear Lord, Thank you for understanding me sometimes, even when I do not understand myself. Give me the insight into understanding the answers you give me to prayers. Help me have the hope I need to get me through each day. And thank you for all your many blessings. Amen.

Benediction: Now, Lord, Bless us in our daily lives. Help us to smell the roses whenever possible, to shine our light on those less fortunate than us, and lead us in the path we should go. For you are the light that keeps our path well lit. Help us to follow it, until we meet you, in a land where milk and honey abound, a place where our most wonderful dreams are fulfilled. Amen.

Hi, my name is Bryan, a messenger of hope who would love to hear from you. God Bless.

© 2005 Bryan Hill