Hearing from God in Everyday Living
We’re passionate about learning to hear from God in everyday life.
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Yet you, LORD, are our Father.
We are the clay, you are the potter;
we are all the work of your hand.
—Isaiah 64:8 (NIV)
The Invitation: Sometimes I need a time-out from the seriousness of life–from the latest news and virus reports or the needs I see around me in this world. And sometimes, in the middle of reading God’s word, He provides just that.
Listening to God is not all about getting a to-do list. Along with wisdom and direction, our Father encourages us and gives insights about His love. Actually, I think His delight in us might be one of His favorite topics of conversation.
So I stopped when I read the verse in Isaiah 64 and asked the Lord a few questions. His answers refreshed me. In this time of being a bit isolated, I sensed the Potter’s presence and care. I had a picture of myself being like a simple but beautiful piece of pottery designed for a specific purpose—even in this season.
If discouragement tries to step into my thoughts, I go back to the picture the Lord gave me when I paused and listened with my spiritual eyes and ears. Now it’s your turn. Be encouraged by the Potter.
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Your Response: Thank you, Father God, for your love and for continually shaping me as I spend time with You. Open my spiritual eyes and ears to sense Your presence and Your thoughts.
Heavenly Potter, if I were a piece of pottery made by Your hands, what would I look like? (Pause. Look and listen. What color is your glaze or are you more rustic? Notice the details of your design.)
Lord, as this piece of pottery, what is my purpose in the kingdom? (Pause, listen, and respond to God.)
Thank you, Lord, that I am able to display Your splendor in everyday living. Remind me if I forget, and may I pass this hope and promise on to others.
Then all your people will be righteous
and they will possess the land forever.
They are the shoot I have planted, the work of my hands,
for the display of my splendor.
—Isaiah 60:21 (NIV)
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Note: If you didn’t hear or sense anything, don’t be discouraged. Consider calling a friend to pray and listen with you. Or listen again when you have more time. Remind yourself that you were created to hear from your Father, and He delights in you. Read Isaiah 64:8 again and ask the Holy Spirit to help you listen.
Defensive: aggressive or submissive behavior in response
to real or imagined threats such as criticism, correction, or suggestions.
The Invitation: Do you ever find yourself getting defensive? I recently did, and it concerned me. Why was I feeling threatened and unwilling to see if there was any truth in what was being said? Why did I start justifying myself and inwardly blaming the other person? I wanted to lash out or cry—I couldn’t decide which—but knew neither would help the situation.
Getting defensive feels as if we’re protecting ourselves, but it usually backfires and undermines relationships. It is ego-driven* and prideful. Not every observation people make about us is accurate, but there is often some truth in it. And it’s worth exploring with them and with the Lord.
What is the healthy response to criticism or questioning of motives? Openness. Asking questions. “I” statements, perhaps beginning with “I hear what you’re saying.” Or “I see how that might have been confusing to you. I’ll try to be more clear next time.”
I’d like to change how I sometimes respond to people. I’d like to give myself permission not to be perfect as well as remember how the Lord sees me. I’d like to be brave, honest, and kind in my everyday living and not cooperate with divisive defensiveness. Will you join me?
Search me [thoroughly], O God, and know my heart;
Test me and know my anxious thoughts;
And see if there is any wicked or hurtful way in me,
And lead me in the everlasting way.
Psalm 139:23,24 (AMP)
Your Response: Lord, in order to change, I need You to reveal any hurtful ways I think and operate—any ways defensiveness harms myself or others. I want to live in openness—bravely, honestly and kindly. Remind me of the last time I was defensive. Whom or what was I trying to protect or defend?
Lord, what would be the healthy response—Your everlasting, relationship-building way?
And Lord, remind me of how You see me and how it looks to have You lead me.
The LORD is my strong defender; he is the one who has saved me.
He is my God, and I will praise him, my father’s God,
and I will sing about his greatness.
—Exodus 15:2 (GNT)
*Read more about this in The Gift of Being Yourself: The Sacred Call to Self-Discovery by David G. Benner.
The Invitation: My father was a man of integrity, passion, and belief that good government was what was needed in the world. He often encouraged his adult children to run for office or at least to help out in the political sphere.
While I agreed that we needed wise, honest, and courageous people to lead our government, I once told him I believed there was only one way to permanently change our society and world. Laws monitor behavior, but what we needed was changed hearts and transformed minds. We needed to be people who cared about others as much as we cared about ourselves and a culture where morality, integrity, and service were foundational. I believed world peace could only come through knowing and following Jesus.
Government is necessary. I pray for our leaders around the world and am grateful for the Christ-followers willing to serve in the political arena. I know there will never be a politician who will get it all right. And as a person who will also never get it all right while on earth, I pray for us to be people who humbly acknowledge the One who carries the government on His shoulders.
For to us a child is born, to us a son is given,
and the government will be on his shoulders.
And he will be called Wonderful Counselor,
Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.
—Isaiah 9:6 (NIV)
May we carry the vision of how things can be. May we find peace in knowing that the government is on Jesus’ shoulders and He is mighty. And may we encourage people to know the Bible and the voice of the Holy Spirit–to be culture changers who impact every sphere of life.
Your Response: Lord, I often shoulder burdens that are not mine to carry. I think I have to have the solution or be the solution to the difficult situations around me. Forgive me for stepping into roles You were meant to have. And forgive me for not stepping into places where the hope, truth, and wisdom of Christ are what is really needed.
Holy Spirit, today I take up the truth and promise of Isaiah 9:6 anew. I receive it as amazing news. Show or tell me what it means that the government is on his (Jesus’) shoulders.
Now, highlight a word or phrase from this verse and speak to the deep places of my heart. (Pause, listen, and respond to what the Spirit has to show you.)
And Jesus, thank you for carrying me—and all those I hold dear—on Your shoulders. You are the Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, and Prince of Peace. Amen.
(Last June , when this was written, who knew we’d have a spring and summer of staying put? A season of vacations being cancelled or postponed and uncertainty as to when we might be traveling again? In the midst of praying for the healing of our land, perhaps you could use a staycation with Jesus. Let us know where you go and any insights Jesus gives you.)
The Invitation: Feeling a little sad that a trip to the ocean wasn’t going to fit into our summer schedule this year, the idea popped into my head to take a walk on the beach with Jesus—in my imagination. It would be like a staycation.
Closing my eyes and taking a few deep breaths, I invited Jesus to walk along the shore with me, to talk with me, and to give me perspective on His creation in relation to my life. In less than ten minutes, I filled my senses with the sound of the ocean and the fragrance of salt air. With Jesus’ leading, I sent worries out to sea and received peace as the waves rolled in.
I marveled at the way He holds the power of the ocean back from taking over the land, yet when the tsunamis of grief and loss seem to prevail, how His presence has seen me through. I felt small looking out at the great expanse of the ocean, yet loved, known, and valued with Jesus by my side.
I think my summer might be filled with more staycations. I wonder what I could learn at the top of the Eiffel Tower, scuba diving in the Great Barrier Reef, or climbing Mt. Rainier. What about you? Where would you like to spend a few minutes with your Lord?
Then Jesus said, “Let’s go off by ourselves to a quiet place and rest awhile.”
He said this because there were so many people coming and going that Jesus and his apostles didn’t even have time to eat.
So they left by boat for a quiet place, where they could be alone.
—Mark 6:31-32 (NLT)
Come away, my beloved,
and be like a gazelle
or like a young stag
on the spice-laden mountains.
—Song of Solomon 8:14 (NIV)
Your Response: Jesus, thank you for Your invitation to come away with You. Thank you for the gift of my imagination.
(If your imagination feels like a dangerous place, simply pray: Jesus, forgive me for unhealthy things I have allowed into my imagination. And right now I forgive people who have exposed me to things I was never meant to see or hear. I ask You to cleanse my imagination. Take harmful images, fears, or unholy thoughts out and fill me with Your purity and beauty. May my imagination be used to bring me into a closer relationship with You.)
Jesus, where would you like us to go for a staycation? (Picture the spot and get a sense of how it feels to be there with Jesus.)
Jesus, what do You want to show me? What are Your invitations to me?
(Take a few minutes (or as much time as you can) and talk to Jesus. Get His perspective on things and enjoy being in His presence.)
Jesus, remind me to go on staycations with You throughout the summer! For they are affordable, insightful, and refreshing. You are my Beloved!