Читать книгу Grounded in God, Revised Edition - Stephanie A. Hull - Страница 9

TWO

Total Listening

A spirit glided past my face; the hair of my flesh bristled. It stood still, but I could not discern its appearance. A form was before my eyes; there was silence, then I heard a voice…. – Job 4:15–16

Focused silence creates a stillness in which particular sounds become distinctly heard or felt. It is as though a veil is lifted from our senses and intuitions. We see our brothers and sisters anew; we hear afresh the sounds in the silence. We feel the Spirit in our midst.

In contrast, if the noise level is loud enough, it may be impossible to hear people talking to us, even if they shout. That is how it sometimes is with God: God is speaking to us, but the noise around us is so great that we hear nothing. If a group wants to hear God, the first thing its members must do is to create a serene environment.

Beyond that, we contend with inner commotion. Many voices chatter inside us as we think about what we had been doing before we arrived and worry about what we have yet to do after we leave. Our muscles may be tense, our bodies full of stress. To listen to God, we need to become still within. We need to become quiet as a group. Beginning meetings in silence provides an opportunity for a group to settle down and become attuned to God's presence.¹

Once a quiet tone is established, it is important to maintain it by proceeding in ways that encourage genuine listening. For instance, if the group takes care to allow a pause between speakers, it provides time for everyone to absorb what has been said.² Moreover, the speaker may have a deeper thought percolating underneath and will find that a pause opens an opportunity to discover and articulate a new insight. By honoring the pause, we avoid interrupting the speaker without careful consideration. In those silent pauses, we leave time for God to mold us gently before we move on.

A more subtle problem is our tendency to formulate what we want to say next while another person is speaking. We cannot truly listen if we are focused on what we ourselves want to say. Discernment is not an exercise in persuasion; rather, it is an attempt to listen deeply and await God's guidance.³

Attentive listening goes beyond the spoken word. In discernment, we listen with our eyes as well as with our ears, observing facial expressions and body language. People tell us many things by how they are sitting, how they are holding their heads, what they are doing with their hands, or by the expressions on their faces.

In addition, we need to listen with our feelings. Whatever emotions are stimulated within us at a meeting are telling us something–perhaps about ourselves, perhaps about what is being said, maybe about both. Times of quiet make it possible to hold emotional reactions in prayer and await guidance. The group as a whole can be invited to sit before God with its feelings. Meetings in which honest, quiet prayer and sharing are the norm knit people together in Christ.

Our intuition and imagination are other vehicles for listening. If the tone and pace of the gathering are sufficiently reflective, pictures may emerge in our imagination or passages of Scripture may come to mind. These may provide more insight than thousands of words. A vivid image can be shared with the group and explored for meaning.

Finally, we need to listen to the group as a whole as well as to the individuals within it. Are there things not being said, questions not being raised? If so, why? Is anyone dominating the group? Are some people not getting an adequate opportunity to speak? Are people truly engaged, whether they are speaking or not? Is there a prayerful sense of God's presence?

If listening is cultivated as a habit in all aspects of life, the continuity between our daily lives and the occasions of our meetings will grow and develop, each enriching the other.⁴ God speaks through people, through events, and through the circumstances of our lives. Most especially, God speaks through the community gathered in the spirit of prayerful listening. Groups that nurture the practice of reverent listening in their lives apart as well as in their times together grow closer to one another as they grow closer to God.

Listen to me in silence, O coastlands; Let the peoples renew their strength; let them approach, then let them speak; let us together draw near for judgment.

–Isa. 41:1