We live in a world of noise. The world is full of loud voices trying to get our attention. Usually the loudest are the ones that are the least worth listening to. When God spoke to Elijah in 1st Kings 19:11-12, He did it with a "gentle whisper." That is how I have found that wisdom generally comes to me. Whether it is through God's voice or the voice of a trusted friend, the words we most need to hear are the ones we actually have to make an effort to listen to.
No matter how many friends you have, you probably only turn to a few when you need advice. If you are married the number one person on your list should be your wife. They are usually the voice of reason, encouragement, character, and love. I have a few close friends that I count as close as brothers that I can count on for Godly wisdom and advice and I know that they will always give me honest feedback when I need it most, even if I don't want to necessarily hear it right then.
But most of us allow a few other voices to affect us too. The opinion of the crowd can sometimes weigh more with us than it should. There is no shortage of internal voices either: ambition, pride, power, wealth, revenge, greed, pleasure compromise, and self love are all voices that will lead us astray if we give into one or all of them. These voices can be noisy and relentless if we don't know how to quiet them. In order to hear true wisdom, we have to learn to ignore the loud words in our ears and listen for the quiet ones.
When we learn to tune ourselves in to the quiet words that consistently speak truth to us we will then hear God. Practice hearing His gentle whisper. But also take the time to listen to the counsel of those you trust; your spouse, your parents, and your close friends. These people know you well and they have rode with you through the valleys and over the mountain tops and unlike many other voices, they always want whats best for you. Those are the voices that have earned the right to be heard. They have been faithful to you and their words are worth far more than silver or gold.
"And he said, "Go out and stand on the mount before the Lord." And behold, the Lord passed by, and a great and strong wind tore the mountains and broke in pieces the rocks before the Lord, but the Lord was not in the wind. And after the wind an earthquake, but the Lord was not in the earthquake. And after the earthquake a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire. And after the fire the sound of a low whisper." 1st Kings 19:11-12 ESV
No matter how many friends you have, you probably only turn to a few when you need advice. If you are married the number one person on your list should be your wife. They are usually the voice of reason, encouragement, character, and love. I have a few close friends that I count as close as brothers that I can count on for Godly wisdom and advice and I know that they will always give me honest feedback when I need it most, even if I don't want to necessarily hear it right then.
But most of us allow a few other voices to affect us too. The opinion of the crowd can sometimes weigh more with us than it should. There is no shortage of internal voices either: ambition, pride, power, wealth, revenge, greed, pleasure compromise, and self love are all voices that will lead us astray if we give into one or all of them. These voices can be noisy and relentless if we don't know how to quiet them. In order to hear true wisdom, we have to learn to ignore the loud words in our ears and listen for the quiet ones.
When we learn to tune ourselves in to the quiet words that consistently speak truth to us we will then hear God. Practice hearing His gentle whisper. But also take the time to listen to the counsel of those you trust; your spouse, your parents, and your close friends. These people know you well and they have rode with you through the valleys and over the mountain tops and unlike many other voices, they always want whats best for you. Those are the voices that have earned the right to be heard. They have been faithful to you and their words are worth far more than silver or gold.
"And he said, "Go out and stand on the mount before the Lord." And behold, the Lord passed by, and a great and strong wind tore the mountains and broke in pieces the rocks before the Lord, but the Lord was not in the wind. And after the wind an earthquake, but the Lord was not in the earthquake. And after the earthquake a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire. And after the fire the sound of a low whisper." 1st Kings 19:11-12 ESV
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