“Search, and you will find.” Mt 7:7 NCV

7 “Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you.

To hear from God you need: (1) A regular time and place. Some prefer morning. “In the morning my prayer comes before you” (Ps 88:13 NIV). Others prefer evening. “Let my …praise [be] like the evening sacrifice” (Ps 141:2 NCV). Others prefer encounters throughout the day. “Evening, morning and noon I cry out” (Ps 55:17 NIV). Just find a time and place that’s right for you. “How much time should I take?” As much as you need. Your time with God should last long enough for you to say what you want, and for God to say what He wants. (2) An open Bible. Before reading the Bible, pray. Don’t go to Scripture looking for your own idea, go searching for God’s. “Hunt for it like hidden treasure. Then you will understand…and you will find that you know God” (Pr 2:4-5 NCV). God seems to send us messages as He did manna: one day’s portion at a time. He gives us: “A command here, a command there. A rule here, a rule there. A little lesson here, a little lesson there” (Isa 28:10 NCV). Choose depth over length. Read until a verse “hits” you, then stop and meditate on it. Understanding comes a little at a time, over a lifetime. (3) A listening heart. James writes, “The man who looks into the perfect law…and makes a habit of so doing, is not the man who hears and forgets. He puts that law into practice and he wins true happiness” (Jas 1:25 PHPS). We know we are listening to God when what we read in the Bible is what others see in our lives.

” Never let yesterday’s disappointments overshadow tomorrow’s dreams. “
~~Alvin~~