Slowing Down to Hear God's Voice

“For God alone, O my soul, wait in silence, for my hope is from him.”

- Psalm 62:5 (ESV)

When I hike a mountain, I often strive to reach the top as quickly as possible.

If someone is hiking ahead, my goal is to pass them. If someone is hiking behind me—God forbid I let them pass me.

Goal? Reach the top. Pace? Uncomfortably fast. Thirsty, hungry, or tired? Keep moving.

Slow down, linger, and listen

Last week, I trekked to the top of Elk Knob. The hiking trail meanders its way up the mountain via switchbacks. But, there is another way to reach the top. A service road climbs steeply—and more directly to the summit. It’s a more difficult path but much faster.

I love walking in God’s creation for many reasons. One of which is exercise. Hiking alone is also where I experience the presence of God most deeply and hear His voice most clearly.

God often draws me away from my breakneck pace to slow, linger, and listen. Fast is perfectly fine for exercise. When it comes to following Jesus, speed is not the way.

Pastor John Mark Comer puts it like this:

“The reality is, most of us are just too busy to live an emotionally healthy and spirituality vibrant life. Hurry is incompatible with the way of Jesus. The love, joy, and peace that form the nucleus of Jesus’ kingdom are all impossible in a life of speed. We must, as Dallas Willard said, ‘ruthlessly eliminate hurry.’”

What do we miss in the race to the top?

We miss the journey. In the world, the ends justify the means.  Possessing a harsh, impatient spirit doesn’t matter if you get results. In God’s kingdom, who you are on the inside and how you live are vastly more important than external “results”. If the means aren’t pure, that’s a good indication you’re headed for the wrong ends. The way of Jesus was marked by unhurried peace. Compassionate but direct communication. Care for the outcast. Time for the interruptions. Patience for the bustling chaos of children. Confrontational toward calloused hearts. Tenderness toward the suffering. His lifestyle was characterized, among other things, by friendship, meals, solitude, prayer, storytelling, and lots of walking.

Read Mark 5.

Pressed by crowds and on a mission to heal the daughter of an important leader—a woman desperately reaches out to touch Jesus. He stops. Who touched me? He asked. No answer. Lots of people are bumping up against you Jesus’ disciples said. Let’s keep moving is the subtext. I love Mark 5:32. “But Jesus kept looking around to see who had done it.” Interrupted by need, Jesus  lingered. He lingered long enough to give a suffering woman peace and wholeness.

In our rush toward the next thing, make room for heavenly interruptions.

We miss the voice of God who tends to speak not in volumes but whispers. We must learn to Be still and know that He is God. Linger. Stop moving, striving, planning. When we stop we can hear. We can hear the silence. Silence is the soil in which God speaks. Hiking is where I hear the voice of God, but only when I slow my pace enough to listen.

Read 1 Kings 19:11-13.

In our rush toward the next thing, make room to hear the voice of God.

We miss people who are often struggling along the path or have taken another way. When I was younger, I sought validation and value in busyness and production. They were markers of success. However, when you choose to follow the way of Jesus, no amount of hours worked or production quotas met will replace the “metrics” of God’s Kingdom: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, gentleness, faithfulness, and self control.

Philippians 2:3-4: “Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves, not looking to your own interests but each of you to the interests of the others.”

In our hurry to get to the mountain top, make room for the people in the valley.