And he said, Go forth, and stand upon the mount before the LORD. And, behold, the LORD passed by, and a great and strong wind rent the mountains, and brake 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 a still small voice.������������-1 Kings 19:11-12

"Do you talk to God?" an atheist once asked a believer.

"Oh, yes, all the time," replied the Christian.

"And does He answer you?"

"Certainly."

"In an audible voice?" the doubter pressed.

"No, in a still small voice that I hear with my heart."

"How do you know it�s Him and not someone else?"

"Years of listening," the believer answered. "Years of listening."

Recently, I heard about a woman who wasn�t sure that God heard her prayers, so she asked the Lord to speak to her.

"What should I do with my life?" she asked.

"Visit the sick," God answered. "Help the poor, live in peace."

Startled to hear God reply so quickly and so directly, she muttered, "I . . . I was only testing."

"So was I," God returned.

Sometimes we pray so long about a problem that we fail to hear God�s marching orders. Either that, or we are so intent on what we want that we don�t hear what He wants. Spiritual listening requires stillness, faith and obedience. And real communication mandates pauses to let the other party get a word in edgewise.

Remind me, Lord, that my hearing clears���-���when I remember: one mouth, two ears.
���������������������-Fred Bauer