Big Ears Are BeautifulSample

Listen to others

One of the primary roles of Moses and Aaron was to declare the will of God to others, including to Pharaoh. The Lord uses His people to declare His will to His people. That truth encourages me to turn to friends for wise counsel as well.

All of us need people in our lives who love us and desire God’s best for us. A friend who is neither jealous of your success nor secretly glad for your failures but wants only to see God at work in your life is a true friend indeed. We need folks filled with the wisdom from heaven gained from their own close walk with Christ, not just their own opinion or experience.

One summer, I worked as an intern in a student ministry. I had been wrestling with God’s call to vocational ministry. I sat in church during the Sunday evening service. As I prayed that night for direction, a sweet mom of one of the high school kids walked to me. She touched my shoulder, and when I looked up, she politely said, “Gregg … I feel like the Lord wants me to tell you that you are on the right track.” I must have mumbled “thanks,” and she sat down, leaving me stunned at what I had heard. God really is listening to my prayers!

God speaks through the wise counsel of good friends, teachers, pastors and even writers. He can use someone to say or write a sentence or phrase that pricks our heart and causes us to change. That’s why it is so important to surround yourself with people who also desire God’s will. The pack we run with matters. George Washington said, “‘Tis better to be alone than in bad company.”¹ And it’s even better to be in good company than to be alone. Hearing God’s voice through human lips can change church from a check the box obligation to a burning bush experience if we come expectantly and listen with discernment.

Discernment is essential, of course. Not every person who claims to be speaking the truth of God actually is. Keep the wisdom team in your life nearby as you listen discerningly to other voices. Be careful that the guidance you receive from others truly is from God. Don’t blindly accept everything that comes your way along with a claim that it comes from Him.

Note

1. George Washington, quoted in Tan, Encyclopedia of 7 700 Illustrations.