When we’re praying, it can be tempting to list off all our requests to God. We tell Him all the things we want Him to do, and forget to take the time to listen to what He wants us to do. If we stop for a minute and listen to what He’s got to say, He can use us in great ways. There are many books in the Old Testament which are written by prophets. From Isaiah to Jeremiah, Hosea to Ezekiel, these people listened to what God had to say. On one occasion, God came to Ezekiel in the form of a man who said: ‘look carefully and listen closely and pay attention to everything I am going to show you, for that is why you have been brought here.’ We may feel that we don’t hear from God, that we wouldn’t have a moment when God spoke to us like He did to Ezekiel. But that’s not true. We may not hear an audible voice like Samuel: ^‘The Lord came and stood there, calling…“Samuel! Samuel!” (1 Samuel 3:10 NIV). But God speaks to all of us, it just may not be in the way we expect Him to. We also need to practice listening to Him as it can be hard to recognise His voice when we’re not used to spending time with Him. But listening is not the end result; it’s just the beginning. Ezekiel was told to ‘tell the people of Israel everything’ he saw. Once we’ve heard what God wants to say, we need to act. Whether it’s something we need to change in our lives, something we need to start believing or something to share with others, let’s be obedient.

What Now?
Take some time out today to spend with God. Practise praying and listening to Him. Then act on what you hear.