"For the word of God is living and active.  Sharper than any double-edged sword,

it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow;

it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart."

Hebrews 4:12

 

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When we try to listen to someone whose speech is slow or deliberate, the great temptation is to finish their sentences for them.  The same is often true when we listen to God's Word, particularly to those passages with which we think we are familiar.  But one of the great proofs that Scripture is alive is its ability to speak afresh through passages I thought I knew by heart.  In fact I might have known them by "head," but not until they came alive in the heart have I really begun to listen.

  A listening stance before the Word means keeping your mind as quiet as possible and letting the Bible finish its sentences, its stories.  The simple act (which is sometimes not so simple) of quieting the mind and heart, and allowing the Bible to speak as if it had never spoken in its own voice to you before, will transform your time with the Word.  Be quiet, be patient, and let it say what it has to say!

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Read a passage of Scripture which is very familiar to you.  Ask the Lord to show you something you have never noticed before or some new insight from that Scripture; then read the passage at least twice more, slowly.  Make notes of new ideas or applications you receive from the Scripture passage.