Nudgings

How often do you think God nudges us? How often do we pay attention? I can think of many times that I prayed to God for Him to give me a sign, particularly one that was loud and clear since I am not very in tune with the soft nudgings that He gives us. But tonight while I was studying, I realized that maybe my prayer needs to something different. 

Who am I to ask my Lord, the God of the Universe, to be more obvious?

Who am I to think that Jesus should have to beg me to listen to His will?

Who am I to expect the Holy Spirit to smack me across the head when I need to pay attention?

I realized that I shouldn't be going about my day thinking that if God wants to tell me something, He'll get my attention. How pompous is that line of thinking? I realized that what I need to be doing is spending my day looking and listening for God's nudgings. Those soft whisperings in my heart and mind that could guide my day, if I let them, if I listen. I have found that the Lord is much easier to hear if we are in tune with Him. He shouldn't have to get louder just because I'm not paying attention!

As a teacher, I get very upset when my students are not in tune with me. I even tell them (usually after someone has missed an important bit of information) that when they hear my voice they should instantly listen because it is probably important. But I am convicted in knowing that I do not give my Savior the same respect that I demand in my classroom. And goodness knows, Jesus has much more important bits of information than I announce to my students.

To be in tune with my Lord, I not only have to slow down, but I have to ask for His guidance. Not that He will be silent without my asking, but then I will be waiting and listening.

Sometimes (okay, usually) I think that God needs to be the one to change, but it is me who needs the change. And so my prayer tonight was not for God to send me a flashing bulletin board to remind me of His presence. It wasn't for a fog horn to blow every time He has something to say to me. But it was that I will slow down and listen, that I will remember to ask for His guidance, and that I will practice listening for His loving nudgings, ready to receive them at any moment of the day.