Sometimes God puts us through the experience and discipline of darkness to teach us to hear and obey Him. Song birds are taught to sing in the dark, and God puts us into “the shadow of His hand” until we learn to hear Him (Isaiah 49:2). “Whatever I tell you in the dark…” — pay attention when God puts you into darkness, and keep your mouth closed while you are there. Are you in the dark right now in your circumstances, or in your life with God? If so, then remain quiet. If you open your mouth in the dark, you will speak while in the wrong mood— darkness is the time to listen.

Don’t talk to other people about it; don’t read books to find out the reason for the darkness; just listen and obey. If you talk to other people, you cannot hear what God is saying. When you are in the dark, listen, and God will give you a very precious message for someone else once you are back in the light. After every time of darkness, we should experience a mixture of delight and humiliation.

If there is only delight, I question whether we have really heard God at all. We should experience delight for having heard God speak, but mostly humiliation for having taken so long to hear Him! Then we will exclaim, “How slow I have been to listen and understand what God has been telling me!” And yet God has been saying it for days and even weeks. But once you hear Him, He gives you the gift of humiliation, which brings a softness of heart— a gift that will always cause you to listen to God now.

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February 14, 2017

Journal Entry for Today-JDV

Lord, when I read Chambers tell us that we must feel humiliation for when we do not hear You, it just feels wrong. Do You really want us to feel (as the dictionary says) abased, shamed, disgraced when we discover that we have not been listening to You? Somehow that does not sit well with my spirit. In my spirit it seems like You are telling us You want us to feel exhilarated, engaged and alive when we do listen closely and really know it is You speaking. And after a while, after learning to listen very closely and to sharpen our consciousness, we learn to hear You more and more. And that action and growth and active listening becomes a reason for celebration.

And God says…”I want my children to be able to live knowing they live in my love and grace all the time. I want you to know that through the Holy Spirit, living in you, you can hear My voice, when you simply listen for it. And you learn to listen for My voice more and more as you learn to live in the surrendered and connected space. Simply take the time to listen. Knock and the door will be answered, seek and you will find. Everyone that seeks Me will find Me.”

“There is no reason to feel humiliated when you have not listened for My voice; I have given you My grace to cover your human condition. But you will wonder why you waited so long; why you sought your own counsel instead of mine, why you listened to others and not to Me. And over time, you will listen only for Me. I love you and have provided for you. Seek first the kingdom of God, which is Jesus, and I will provide everything else you need for your life, including the ability to hear My voice.”