The Listening Room

(Read Galatians 2:20; Romans 7:22; 1 Thessalonians 5:23)

A Japanese pastor invited an American pastor to visit his home. The guest was taken to a lovely garden behind the house. A one-room cottage had been erected there. The pastor explained: “This is my listening room.”

In the Kingdom of God, you need a “Listening Room.” The son and servant only ministers after the Master’s orders have been received. Hearing the directions of God for our own needs and the needs of others, and for His assignments to us, should have top priority. Praying is more than a one-way conversation in which you speak to God; it also involves listening to Him.

“Where is God when I commune with Him?” Do you think of Him as “seated above the circle of the heavens,” listening to you from outer space? Do you always look toward the ceiling or the heaven when you pray? If so, that long distance may cause Him to seem very remote to you.

Galatians 2:20 tells us, “…Christ lives in me.” The presence of God should not be considered to be “out there,” but “in here.” The fellowship we have with the Father is very intimate. He is a friend who sticks closer than a brother (Proverbs 18:24).

Wherever you go, He is there with you. He is constantly speaking to you. You may be sure of that! In Moses’ day, men never came into direct contact with God. They only knew of His presence in their midst by a cloud of smoke or fire. That is not true for us. God desires us to respond to His presence within us and live our whole life with Him. This is to be known to us in conscious experience.

Another question is, “Which part of me communes with God?” In Romans 7:22, we read, “For in my inner being I delight in God’s law.” Resident within your inner being (see diagram) lives the Triune God – Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. When you pray, you are communing with your Lord and your Master. Therefore, your fellowship with Him takes place as you yield to your King, and declare that you are part of His Kingdom.

Ephesians 3:20 tells us our God “is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us.”

Our “Listening Room” is more an attitude, a value of our lives, than a special room built for that purpose. It is a condition in which we not only speak to Him, but also hear from Him. To repeat, He is always speaking. The problem comes when we do not know how to listen to His voice. To obtain peace of mind, and His direction for our steps and our ministry to others through us of our spiritual gifts, we need to hear Him when He speaks. There is no more important location in the Kingdom of God than the “Listening Room!”

Dr. A. W. Tozer wrote in The Pursuit of God,

The highest love of God is not intellectual, it is spiritual. God is spirit and only the spirit of man can know Him really. In the deep spirit of a man the fire must glow or his love is not the true love of God. . . Men of the breaking hearts had a quality about them not known to nor understood by common men. (pp. 40-43)

In 1 Samuel 3:8, Samuel heard a voice calling and did not know the source. He discovered that if he kept listening, the voice would keep calling him. God was the Caller. We need never fear God will quit speaking to us. If we miss His message the first time, He will continue to speak until He gets our attention.

Now, listen to His voice. Be silent for the next little while. Ask, “Lord, speak – I am listening.” From the depths of your spirit, He will speak. Worship Him as He does so, and know that in your deepest spirit the fire will glow. It may burn away a “stronghold” or be word of guidance. LISTEN!

The Listening Room