The Practice Of Listening

THE PRACTICE OF LISTENING

a prayer to open

Holy Spirit, come. Center my heart.

Fill my mind. Guide my steps.

One day as [the prophets and teachers of the church at Antioch] were worshiping the Lord and fasting, the Holy Spirit said, “Appoint Barnabas and Saul for the special work to which I have called them.” So after more fasting and prayer, the men laid their hands on them and sent them on their way.

So Barnabas and Saul were sent out by the Holy Spirit. They went down to the seaport of Seleucia and then sailed for the island of Cyprus. There, in the town of Salamis, they went to the Jewish synagogues and preached the word of God. John Mark went with them as their assistant.

Afterward they traveled from town to town across the entire island until finally they reached Paphos, where they met a Jewish sorcerer, a false prophet named Bar-Jesus. He had attached himself to the governor, Sergius Paulus, who was an intelligent man. The governor invited Barnabas and Saul to visit him, for he wanted to hear the word of God. But Elymas, the sorcerer (as his name means in Greek), interfered and urged the governor to pay no attention to what Barnabas and Saul said. He was trying to keep the governor from believing.

Saul, also known as Paul, was filled with the Holy Spirit, and he looked the sorcerer in the eye. Then he said, “You son of the devil, full of every sort of deceit and fraud, and enemy of all that is good! Will you never stop perverting the true ways of the Lord? Watch now, for the Lord has laid his hand of punishment upon you, and you will be struck blind. You will not see the sunlight for some time.” Instantly mist and darkness came over the man’s eyes, and he began groping around begging for someone to take his hand and lead him.

When the governor saw what had happened, he became a believer, for he was astonished at the teaching about the Lord.

Before Barnabas and Saul were sent off by their friends and the Holy Spirit to begin a journey that would last the rest of Saul’s life (with intermittent returns to Jerusalem), they were together worshiping, praying, and fasting. We aren’t told how long they had been engaged in these particular practices or whether they had approached God with a specific request. What we know is that in the midst of these practices, they heard the Holy Spirit, who then filled them anew and directed their path. We move so fast in nearly every area of our lives that we fail to stop, gather together in community, and turn our minds and hearts to God. But it is in these moments that we experience God’s Spirit and hear how he seeks to guide, correct, and encourage us.

• Read this passage again. What word or phrase stands out to you? Sit quietly, reminding yourself that you are in God’s loving presence, and ask him to show you how that word or phrase connects to your life.
• In what area of your life do you feel stuck or as though your faith is stagnant? What would being filled with the Holy Spirit anew in that area bring about (joy, progress, change, increased confidence, power)?
• What spiritual disciplines do you practice in community with other believers? What practices do you sense God might be calling you into (worship, prayer, fasting)? Who could you ask to join you in these practices?

Father, thank you that you speak through your Holy Spirit. I want to have ears to hear, though I know at times busyness, exhaustion, and my own choices close my ears to your voice and movement. Help me open spaces in my calendar and in my heart and mind to really listen to you. I ask that you would direct my path just as you did Paul’s and that I would have the awareness and courage to go wherever you send me. Amen.