Some family members of mine, from Colorado, recently shared these photos, one of which (see the bottom photo) is of the herds of elk that roam where they live. In yesterday’s post by Dutch Sheets, of Give Him 15, he talked about the elk, tying them in with the importance of “hearing” from God in our lives…

Here is a portion of the post:

Several years ago I was observing a small herd of elk just before dark. The wind was just right, blowing my scent away from them, and I had just enough cover between the herd and myself to crawl within twenty yards or so. Eventually, just to see if I could do it, I crawled very slowly out into the open and watched them. They never saw me.

One of the things that intrigued me most was the twitching of the elks’ ears. Ever vigilant, each time they heard a sound, their ears would prick up, in order to hear it even better. Whether eating, drinking, or taking a step, they were always diligent to listen for a potential threat–their lives depended on it. As I watched them, the pricking up of their ears reminded me of a word in Scripture I had studied. I recalled that this was the literal meaning of one of the Hebrew words for “listening.” Qashab means “to prick up the ears like an animal coming to alertness.” This live picture, painted by the elk, was indeed worth a thousand words.

One of the places qashab is used is in Proverbs 4:20-22, a fairly well-known passage of Scripture:

“My son, give attention to my words; incline your ear to my sayings. Do not let them depart from your sight; keep them in the midst of your heart. For they are life to those who find them and health to their whole body.” (Italics mine)

My understanding of “giving attention to” the Lord’s words went to a whole new level as I watched the ears of the ever-vigilant elk. Always listen diligently for His voice, as though your life depends on it, came to mind. No matter what you happen to be doing, remain tuned in to Him.

Spending time with God through prayer, worship, and quiet meditation tunes the soul and awakens the heart, enabling us to hear Him. Life is loud–make it quiet down once in a while. Everything else will scream for your attention, but He will not. Holy Spirit refuses to shout above the clamor and dissonance created by other voices and activities. For those who have grown to love the pleasure of His company enough to make time for Him, for those who truly listen, however, the still small voice of Holy Spirit becomes easily discernible.

Dutch Sheets of Give Him 15

Here is Dutch’s prayer:

Father, give us twitching ears like the elk, inclining them to listen for Your voice, picking up on the impulses of Your Spirit. Give us undistracted hearts that turn aside to see and listen. Life is so loud, so fast, so full. Remind us, please, of what matters most.

You said that as Your sheep, we know Your voice. We declare, therefore, that we ARE able to hear You; we do have ears to hear what You say. We will hear through Your written Word, and we will hear the voice of Holy Spirit. We will be alert, and will not be sidetracked by supposed “shortcuts,” which are actually detours.

Teach us to wait when we need to wait, and to only move when You tell us to move. Crossing the Jordan when it’s in flood stage doesn’t seem right, but sometimes You want to demonstrate Your power by cutting it off (Joshua 3). Your time is the only right time for crossing into the new. So, in all of our ways, we acknowledge You, and trust You to direct our paths (Proverbs 3:5-6).

Our decree:

We decree that we will wait and listen, so we can follow Holy Spirit’s plan.

Find the complete, detailed June 26th message at: http://www.givehim15.com

…posted by P. A. Oltrogge