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A few years ago, I went through a season when there seemed not enough hours in the day. There were family responsibilities. Lots of deadlines at work. Admittedly, I was also involved in one too many church activities.

Getting everything done was a race against the clock. My times with God were no different. I came with all of my prayer requests. When I got to the end of the list, I said ‘Amen’ and off I went to tackle the next thing on the agenda. If I thought about it later in the day, I consoled myself that some time with God was better than no time at all.

One day I was sitting quietly and starting thinking about how my times with God had become nothing short of a one-way conversation. That is, it was all about me talking. All about me pouring out my requests. There was no lingering in God’s presence. No waiting for God to speak. Truth be told, nothing could justify my actions.

Ecclesiastes 5:2 Be not rash with your mouth, nor let your heart be hasty to utter a word before God, for God is in heaven and you are on earth. Therefore let your words be few.

The above scripture is not suggesting to me that I should not bring my requests to God. Rather, in my times with God, I allow Him to take the lead.

There are many benefits to listening so that we may hear from God. Here are just a few.

1. The path for our lives is revealed. Psalm 16:11 says: You make known to me the path of life; you will fill me with joy in your presence, with eternal pleasures at your right hand.
2. God will instruct, teach and guide us. Psalm 32:8 says: I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; I will guide you with My eye.
3. We hear God’s plan for our lives. Jeremiah 29:11 says: For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope.

If your time with God is largely you talking, I encourage you to begin the practice of listening. The practice of letting your words be few, as in Ecclesiastes 5:2. But perhaps you may be saying, “I listen but I don’t hear God”. Be reminded of Isaiah 50:4 that says in part: He wakens me morning by morning, wakens my ear to listen like one being instructed. Pray and ask God to open your ears so that you may hear Him.

The more you listen for God’s voice, the more you sharpen your ability to hear His voice. With sharpening, you will be able to hear God’s voice in the noise of a crowded supermarket just as well as you hear Him in the quiet of your home. As Isaiah 30:21 says: Whether you turn to the right or to the left, your ears will hear a voice behind you, saying, “This is the way; walk in it.” That level of closeness with God should be the life lived by every believer.