children's christian magazine

Hearing
by Teresa Taylor Williams
God
“In quiet and calmness shall be your strength.” (Isaiah 30:15)
When her alarm clock went off, Jessica jumped out
of bed. The day was finally here for talent show
auditions. She went to look for her mother to remind
her that she would be staying after school.
“Today’s the big day, Mom!” She swung the door
open to her mother’s home office and found her
praying. “Oh, sorry,” she whispered. “I forgot this is
your prayer time.”
“Hold on just one minute, honey. I just need to finish
this note to myself,” Mom said, grabbing the pen and
notebook beside her Bible.
“A note to yourself? About what?” Jessica asked.
“Why are you writing during your prayer time?”
Mom explained to her that prayer time consists of
reading her Bible, praying, and writing down what
God tells her.
“God talks to you? What does He say?” Jessica
asked.
“Sweetie, He talks to all of His children. That is why
my morning prayer time is important to me. I try to
wake up before you because the house is nice and
quiet. I want to hear clearly with my ears and my
heart, without distractions,” Mom said.
28 - The Kids’ Ark
Mom noticed that Jessica looked a little afraid of the
idea of hearing God speak.
“OK. When God speaks, it can be as loud as the
thunder, or as quiet as a whisper,” said Mom. “He might
want you to do something nice for someone else. Or
He might remind you to pray for someone who is sick.”
Jessica looked at the list written on her mother’s
notebook. “Send ‘Thank You’ card to neighbor. Pray
for co-worker who has lung cancer. Drink water. Pick
up Jessica from school.”
“Drink water? Did God really tell you that?” Jessica
asked with a laugh.
“Why yes, and I’m glad He did. Water is very important
for us to have healthy bodies, and I haven’t been
drinking enough water lately. You see, Jess, He loves
and cares about us. He wants to help us through life,
but we can’t hear Him as clearly if we’re too busy or
distracted.”
“Mom, do you have an extra notebook for me? I’m
gonna try to hear God the next time I pray,” Jessica
said. “I can’t wait to hear what He has to say!”