Hearing His Voice #155

I slept, but my heart was awake, when I heard my lover knocking and calling.

Song Of Songs 5:2

Anyone who has ever been in love knows how it is. One glimpse of her . . . the mention of his name . . . the sound of her voice . . . a brief moment of eye contact . . . all it takes is one hint of a suggestion for your heart to pound, your palms to sweat, your breath to quicken. When you’re in love, your heart is awake and alert to your beloved.

Our hearts are always awake to our passions. Even when we’re asleep, our spirits seem to be connected with whatever and whomever we love. Some people are stirred by the beauty of visual art but bored by the written word. Some are in tune with lofty, abstract ideas but easily tune out concrete, mundane matters. Some will scream wildly at a football game and fall asleep during a hymn. And everyone brightens up in the company of certain people but wearies in the company of others. Why? Because we are people with passions and interests and deep desires. Whatever can stoke our fires gets the benefit of our full attention.

In the Song of Songs, the beloved’s heart is awake to her lover, and she hears him calling. That’s because when our hearts are awake, we hear everything. We tune in to whispers, hints, and subtle suggestions. We even read meaning into a maybe-normal tone of voice or an otherwise innocuous phrase or a possible pattern of behavior or attitudes. We notice things that no one else could possibly notice. And if our hearts are awake to God, we tune in to every possible hint of His voice.

Pray for an awakened heart—a heart so awake that you will hear God knocking and calling even when you’re asleep, a heart fully alive to whatever He might be saying. Be so in love with God that you hear everything.

Lord, stir my passion for You. May my heart beat faster at the sound of Your name. Deepen my desire for the sound of Your voice. Awaken my heart to every word from Your mouth.