Hearing God

First things first. I want to share with you something cool that I realized today. I've been listening to Christmas music for a few weeks now. (Yes, I started before Thanksgiving) I really love Christmas and have enjoyed Michael Bublé's Christmas album as well as Trans-Siberian Orchestra. Even with the joy's of Christmas music, I did not experience as much joy as I did this morning. I decided to read the first few chapters of Luke in preparation for Christmas and also for a sermon series I am working on for CentrePointe Youth Ministries. I thoroughly enjoyed reading about the coming of Jesus, starting with the coming of the one who comes before; which would be John.

As I was reading I picked up on something in Luke 1:5-13. It talked about Zechariah going to do his priestly duties to go burn incense in the Temple of the Lord. It says that as he did this others were worshiping and praying outside of the temple and I imagine that Zechariah was worshiping inside as well. While he was worshiping God, and angel of the Lord (Gabriel) appeared to Zechariah and told him that he and his wife, Elizabeth, were going to have a son. He was told that the Lord had heard his prayer and was going to answer it. The son turned out to be John the Baptist who would later on lead the way for Jesus!

Something that stuck out to me while reading this was that God spoke to Zechariah while he was worshiping God. Zechariah got an answer to his prayers in a time when he wasn't focused on them. It is easy for me to get wrapped up in my prayers and how God is going to answer them and then forget to just worship God sometimes. I know that in my life I have experienced God leading/guiding/speaking to me more when I am not so focused on getting an answer to prayer than when I am stressing about how God is going to do it.

I believe that prayer is a powerful thing and necessary BUT sometimes we lose sight of everything God is when we are focused on how God is going to respond to us. Perhaps we should focus on responding to God in worship after we pray. We just may hear him speak to us more often.

Will

Live&Lead.4.Eternity