We at Holy Listening know something of the importance of open ears. Listening well to you. Listening to God with you. Listening to God for inspiration and wisdom.
We know to pray for these things. We talk to each other about the importance of having ears that are truly open. We encourage and remind each other to seek having open ears. It's important - to you and to ourselves that we listen well.
It is important that we be so present to you and to God that we are able to encourage you to hear God more easily…that we are able to hear God with you. And to receive hints and wisdom from God about how to best serve and help you.
Listening deeply and well, and prayerfully, being open and ready to hear whatever needs to be heard - can be harder than it may first seem. Such listening takes a willingness and readiness that means we have to confront our own issues, and any bias that we may have - that may make it harder to hear you well. Harder to hear God with you, and to do that well. Harder to receive wisdom and hints about how to - or simply reminders to - be present to you and to God. Deeply and well, with commitment and single mindedness.
We also know how hard it can be to hear God, who often seems to speak so gently, as with whispers. It can be hard to not be too excited to pay attention well enough to hear…to not let our own ideas get in the way of being open about what needs to be heard.
So we pray for help with such things. Encourage and remind each other to do such things well, and to continue to learn and improve.
We even sometimes pray for you, that you be able to hear God well, and that nothing gets or stays in the way of that. We pray for your "open ears", too.
What helps you have open ears, and what can you do that helps you be ready to hear and hear well...to hear even better?
We thank God for his help to us and especially for his help to you. May you be greatly blessed with ears that are open and hear deeply and well.
-David