“Have any of these prophets been in the Lord’s presence to hear what he is really saying? Has even one of them cared enough to listen?…” — Jeremiah 23:18, 22, 35, NLT

Life happens. Most often, it comes at us fast and furious, and we run.

“Have any of these prophets been in the Lord’s presence to hear what he is really saying? Has even one of them cared enough to listen?…If they had stood before me and listened to me, they would have spoken my words, and they would have turned my people from their evil ways and deeds … “You should keep asking each other, ‘What is the Lord’s answer?’ or ‘What is the Lord saying?’” (Jeremiah 23:18, 22, 35).

When did you last take time to be in God’s presence, posture yourself to hear what He is really saying, and ask Him to reveal His answer?

My posture is very different when I come not with my lists but with my heart, not to talk as much as to listen.  The focus is not really on answers but on discovery.

This passage in Jeremiah shares a striking result: If we care enough to stand in God’s presence and listen, we will see world change (v. 22). I long to see that!  I am learning that change doesn’t happen only because of what I do; it happens also because of spending time in His presence. When I am in God’s presence and spend time listening to Him, He gives me His heart, His eyes, His passions, and His answers. He changes me. Then and only then can I represent Him well.

As we take time to stand in God’s presence and listen, let’s begin to ask ourselves and each other, “What is the Lord’s answer?  What is the Lord saying?”

REFLECTION
1. In the words of Jeremiah, have you cared enough to listen in your times of prayer?
2.  Take time today to sit quietly before the Lord.  What is He saying to you?  What is He impressing on your heart that will move you to action?

Michelle Derksen and her husband, Murray, work as Regional Developers in the Caribbean Sun Region. She is enjoying the journey of faith and prayer and being challenged by how God is stretching and growing her.