Listen for God’s still, small voice this Advent
My cell phone is always on ‘vibrate’ mode. I don’t need a loud, annoying ringtone because of how compulsively I check it and the years of finely tuning my sense of even the slightest vibration. I’m so aware of this problematic yet useful device that sometimes I feel something even when it’s not in my pocket! Between emails, texts and social notifications I go about my day expecting the phone to get my attention, so I’m not surprised when it does.
My cell phone is always on ‘vibrate’ mode. I don’t need a loud, annoying ringtone because of how compulsively I check it and the years of finely tuning my sense of even the slightest vibration. I’m so aware of this problematic yet useful device that sometimes I feel something even when it’s not in my pocket! Between emails, texts and social notifications I go about my day expecting the phone to get my attention, so I’m not surprised when it does.
Wouldn’t it be amazing if we were that sensitive to God’s voice in our daily lives? What would it look like if we expected Jesus to speak to us through each day, even in the most mundane and ordinary moments? Instead of reserving our interactions with God to specific moments such as the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass or a daily rosary, because of the indwelling of the Holy Spirit, we are capable of an ongoing dialogue with God.
This type of internal (and outwardly silent) prayer is born from several things:
- the faith to believe God wants to interact with us
- the daily habit of paying attention to him
- our humble surrender to his will through intentional obedience to his voice
- a desire to be wide open to all that the Holy Spirit wants to do in our lives
We believe God speaks; we intentionally listen; we obey his commands; and we yield more and more to his Holy Spirit. To be sensitive to God’s movement flows from being intimately and lovingly connected to him.
This is one of the things we admire in the lives of the saints. Their close walking with Jesus permeated every aspect of their lives. They lived with a near-constant ability to answer the two big questions of a disciple: What is God saying to me? and What am I doing about it? The richness and depth of their love for the Lord strengthened and empowered their consistent desire to obey his will. They wanted to know God’s opinion about everything and strove to always align with his perspective.
I recognize that many of us aren’t at that level yet, but intimacy with Jesus is not reserved simply for the holiest of saints, but for all of God’s beloved children. Advent is a perfect time to commit to looking for God in the smallest daily moments, and listening for his still, small voice. Let’s allow the vibration of the Spirit in our hearts to be more important than the one in our pockets!
Pete Burak is the director of i.d.9:16, the young adult outreach of Renewal Ministries. He has a master’s degree in theology and is a frequent speaker on evangelization and discipleship.
