I get more when I quiet my life

How many people have ever found themselves trapped in IKEA. There is no way out of that place. You get stuck wandering through each section, following the arrow, like some rat looking for cheese. Actually, the path doesn’t lead to cheese. All roads lead to Swedish meatballs at IKEA.

If you have to go in to IKEA, I would like to offer you my services. If you want to get to the kitchen section of IKEA I can get you there in 3 minutes from the time you enter the front door. No kidding.

Several years back we had a pipe burst in our kitchen so we used that opportunity and some insurance money to redo our kitchen. My wife always wanted a farmhouse sink so we wandered into… IKEA.

Today I want to talk about a way that God wants to give you more that you may not have even thought about. It comes in the form of a nudge. A push in the right direction. A whisper to make a mid course correction.

Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight. Proverbs 3:5,6

Let me ask you a question. Do you ever feel like you are wandering? You’re not sure where you are going?

There appears to be no end to the ways in which we could use a nudge.
Which college to go to?
Who to marry?
Where to invest?
What attitude you should have?

Let me tell you something.
God knows the way. God has been through IKEA. He’s sees where you’ve been and where you should go.

God can do that for us. He tells us over and over

I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; I will counsel you with my eye upon you. Psalm 32:8

The heart of man plans his way, but the Lord establishes his steps. Proverbs 16:9

Thus says the Lord, your Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel: “I am the Lord your God, who teaches you to profit, who leads you in the way you should go. Isaiah 48:17

Today I want us to lean into the nudge. I want us to learn to quiet our life so that we can listen to the voice of God.

Not many people sell their souls to the devil, but many of us sell our souls to the culture. Instead of defining success for ourselves, we let the culture define it for us. Instead of daring to be different, we conform to the pattern of this world. Why? We let our culture have the loudest voice. Mark Batterson

I believe God wants to speak to us. I believe he wants to nudge us in the right direction. I believe he wants to push us toward more. But our life is too loud. There are too many voices, too many noises, too many distractions.

What are the elements that make your life loud right now?
What keeps us from listening to the voice of God?

1) I get more when I quiet my life long enough to pray my most heartfelt prayer.

The Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us through wordless groans.27 And he who searches our hearts knows the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for God’s people in accordance with the will of God. Romans 8:26,27

God’s okay with us coming to him with our deepest secrets. Our most intimate desires. He’s okay with prayers that we can’t admit to anyone else. Even if we don’t know exactly what to pray for, he’s okay with that. This doesn’t mean that we will always get what we want. There is a key phrase here. The Spirit intercedes in accordance to the will of God. We have to understand that Father knows best.

Samuel and Eli

10 The Lord came and stood there, calling as at the other times, “Samuel! Samuel!” Then Samuel said, “Speak, for your servant is listening.” I Samuel 3:10

Samuel continued as Israel’s leader all the days of his life. 1 Samuel 7:15

2) The more I quiet my life the more I can hear God’s whisper

Prayer is the difference between the best we can do and the best God can do. But there is something even more important and powerful than talking to God. What is it? Listening to God. It turns a monologue into a dialogue, which is exactly what He wants. Mark Batterson

“The voice of the Spirit is as gentle as a zephyr,” said Oswald Chambers. “So gentle that unless you are living in perfect communion with God, you never hear it”

If we want to do more by doing less, we need to get into God’s presence. It’s our most efficient use of time, by a factor of a thousand. And quiet is the key. It’s silence that helps us hear God’s voice and sing His song.
Silence is the difference between sight and insight.
Silence is the difference between happiness and joy.
Silence is the difference between fear and faith.

Do you want more?
Do you need a nudge?
Are you looking for direction?
Do you want to hear the whisper of God
Then quiet your life.
Get time alone with God
Don’t consider insomnia as a date with Sports center or instagram.

In your small group questions there is a question about setting up an appointment to be silent with God. Maybe you need to do that this week.

Psalm 46 puts it simply and profoundly

Be still, and know that I am God. Psalm 46:10

Let’s break this down.
Be. Just be. Just be you.
Be still. Quiet your life. Turn down the noise. Turn off the TV. Be still.
Be still, and know. Open up the opportunity to hear from God. Listen to the whisper. Feel the nudge.
Be still, and know that I am God. Psalm 46:10