Shh… A Time for Listening
It's Wednesday night, 6:15. Our little Iglesia Cuadrangular (Foursquare Church) is getting started. All eight mid-week Bible study attenders stand up from their chairs which are arranged in a circle, and begin praying. Aloud. All at once. And loudly. Some kneel. Others walk the room. With hands uplifted and voices raised, they are thanking God for His goodness and faithfulness. Praising Him for His attributes.
15-20 minutes later, we are all seated. Each person takes a turn reading a verse from the book and chapter being studied. After the selection is read, each person takes a turn giving a commentary on the selection or one of the verses. I have never been to a Bible study where each participant has so much to say. And I mean 7 minutes or more, each person comments on the Scripture.
And I sit and listen. I've never listened with my mouth shut so well my entire life. They ask for my thoughts. I quietly say that I am there to listen. IT'S HARD. Because I am reading the Spanish and English of the Bible selection, and because I've been in church since I was four, and have a good idea what might be being discussed, I can follow along pretty well. Some people I understand quite well and have about 50% comprehension. Others I cannot understand even one sentence. Spanish speakers are not known for clarity in pronunciation. But I plug away, every Wednesday night, developing community with other Believers and just being present.
And they are so glad we are there. But I have no idea why... we just listen. We have nothing to offer at this point. Sundays, a local English teacher, translates the messages for us. The Holy Spirit ministers to my spirit during the worship service, even though many of the words are lost to me. The people are warm, gracious, kind and loving. Sometimes one of them stops to pray over us. I feel welcomed. It has got to be one of the strangest experiences of my life: showing up to church every Sunday and doing nothing but listening and receiving from Jesus and His Body. But it's where He has me right now. So I rest.
I am in paradise. The climate is steady- no highs and lows to confuse the plants. There are already so many plants, trees, bushes and flowers on our acre. I am so grateful. Every week I see something I hadn't noticed before. "Oh! We have one of those flowers! Oh! There's fruit on that tree, I wonder what it is? Look! Look at that plant- it's growing in the woods! I've paid to buy those in a nursery in the states!" I planted some amazing trees. Rainbow Eucalyptus. I was simply stunned when I saw them. Their height reminds me of Sequoias or Redwoods. So tall. And majestic.
It's a time for Listening. I think if I were to have a Theme of the Year for 2022 it would be 'Listen'. I haven't the choice but to listen. I don't have enough words to express myself. But not just that. I'm also in a Listening time with Jesus. He has made it quite clear to me, even today, that He very much wants me to Listen.
Our new Pastors, Mauricio and Marjorie, came to visit us today. I served them breakfast and they spoke more slowly than usual. Micah and I talked some, but more than anything, we listened. They have been pastoring this Foursquare Church in Turrialba, Costa Rica since 2012. Before they left, they prayed over us. And then afterward, the Pastor told me the picture he had in his mind and spent some time encouraging me as the Lord gave him to tell me. What he said was the same thing I felt before leaving to come here... like Abraham, "Go to the place I will show you," and bit by bit, God revealed things, as Abraham obeyed. And then, the Pastor ended by telling me how we can hear the voice of God better when we are in a 'pause' than when we are 'running'.
LISTEN, Amy, to the voice of God!! Later this afternoon, I got on Facebook, and this is what Pastor Rob from Utah posted today:
"The power of prayer isn’t found in our words because sadly we so often say way too much when in reality the power is found in God’s words to us, over us and about us. The peace, the wisdom and the solution we need won’t come from speaking but from listening. Choose to develop the discipline of listening. Can you imagine what might happen if people choose to listen first before speaking." (emphasis mine)
I hear you, Lord. It's a time for Listening.
Taking life SLOWLY. It's weird for me, I'll admit. But nice. I like to be exactly where the Lord has me.
After reading the quote again, how do you relate to that?
I want to hear all about it!
