It is the Bible’s opening scene. The spirit of God hovers over primordial chaos and brings about creation. Creation occurs, not through an act of conquering or dominance, but by a simple word spoken. Let there be light. Let there be life. This speaking God is revealed on every page of scripture. Even when the only two people in the world rebel against the one rule they had, God walks toward them. In the cool of the day God comes, calling out, “Where are you?” Again God speaks, and flowing from God’s words are grace, forgiveness, and life.

This happens throughout the Bible. As people step away from God and turn their ear to other voices, God calls back to them. Is it any wonder then, that the ultimate manifestation of God is referred to as the Word. John’s gospel begins “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was God, and the Word was with God….The Word became flesh and dwelt among us.” Jesus is the declaration of God, calling us to hope, peace, joy, and most of all, divine love.

How do we listen for the God who constantly speaks to us? We can get so busy in our lives that we never take the time to listen. This is true particularly as we race our way through the holidays. We do our tasks at rapid space, with holiday jingles at full volume. But when we live this way, we miss the subtle yet powerful voice that beckons us to true abundance.

Where and when do we cultivate times of silence or solitude – stepping away from all the sounds that crowd our lives, so we can be intimately attentive, to the voice of God? The radical truth behind all of this is that because God speaks, God can be heard; Because Jesus is the Word, we can recognize the timber of his voice. Times of listening are crucial to our spiritual lives.

The season of Advent, with its slowness and simplicity, calls us to a radical action of stepping away from the noise so that we can be attentive to a deeper voice. We turn away from the jingles so that we can hear the words of the of one who created us and comes to us in love and grace.

What might that look like for you? It’s simpler that we realize. For some reason we mistakenly assume that listening to God involves hours upon hours of complete stillness – a type of stillness only reserved for nuns and monks. That’s not the case.  Silence and solitude are easy disciplines to bring into our lives. It is as simple as Do less, Listen More. Yes, this can involve prolonged lengths of time, but we can also find this in small moments.

For example, try not reaching for an electronic device first thing in the morning. As you move through Advent, what might it look like for you to wake in the morning, make your cup of coffee, and just sit. Don’ think about ‘making this time holy’, just sit. If you think you will be prone to watch the clock, then put on a timer. Just sit – and as you sit, hold Yousef open to God.  Maybe whisper a prayer that says, “speak Lord, for your servant is listening.” Listening to God doesn’t have to be any more elaborate than this.

Of course, some of us are not morning people, so if mornings don’t work try doing at bed-time.  Before you go into your room, turn off the television/ put your phone away, step away from the computer, and sit. The time of the day doesn’t really matter. What matters is that you create a space – 2 minutes, 4 minutes, 10 minutes (whatever works for you), for you to simply do less, and listen more.

But here’s the thing, the key to listening is intentionality. We need to allow Jesus to control the conversation. We can’t force it, or manipulate it. Just hold yourself open to Jesus in that space – trusting that his voice will come as it needs to.  And even if you rise from your 5 minutes of listening, feeling like there was no booming voice from the sky, you will have spent five minutes sitting as close to Jesus as you can – and no matter what, that is transformative. 

This type of discipline, when it is practiced once, can be amazing. But this discipline, when worked into the fabric of our lives, is life changing.