This year I attended a leadership conference. Sessions were broadcast live around the world and my church was one of the remote sites. Mama Maggie Gobran, founder of Stephen’s Children, an organization that feeds the hungry in Egypt, began to speak. In a hushed voice, she talked about the importance of spending quiet time alone with God: “For it is in silence that you leave the many to be with the One.”
After she finished, I turned to my friend Debbie who was sitting next to me. “Finding time to be quiet with the Lord is definitely a challenge for me,” I said ruefully. “I think I’ve been talking to God a lot more than listening to Him.”
Debbie took my hand. “Let’s pray,” she said. “Lord, thanks for reminding us that sometimes we need to just listen. Show us ways to sit in silence with You.”
I didn’t have to wait long. At work the next day, I saw my colleague John and walked over to him. “Eating alone?” I asked. He nodded. “Sometimes I need to sit quietly.” He thought for a moment. “You know, that’s really when I hear the voice of God most clearly.”
Just then my cell phone rang. It was a friend inviting me to lunch. “No thanks,” I said. “I think I’ll pick up a sandwich and sit on the bench under the oak tree here at work.”
“Really?” my friend asked curiously. “By yourself? I mean, who will you to talk to?” “No one,” I said, laughing. “I’ll just be listening.”
