The holiday season is a busy time, including visiting family and friends, buying gifts, and eating food. With so much to do, we get caught up in the hustle and bustle of things and fail to slow down and spend quality time with God.
Holidays are often a time of large-scale consumer spending. The year-end and New Year holidays bring more shopping than usual, and Christmas is no different. It also takes a lot of time to plan your trip and invite guests such as family and friends. As a result,
Especially during the holiday season, it's easy to get distracted by all the noise.
We live in a very consumerist culture, and we become too tied to materialism and overly dependent on it. The danger behind it is that it becomes an idol and separates us from the Lord. As a result, we become lazy, complacent, and restless because we are not spiritually grounded.
So what can you do? How can we hear God's voice during this noisy holiday season? Here are some points to consider and apply if you want to hear God's voice during this season.
Hear God's Voice Through His Word
First and foremost, we must return to God's Word. Want to know how God speaks? Read His Word. Because when the Word speaks, God also speaks. We often hear that we lack discipline in this area. Whether it's early in the morning or in the evening, create a schedule that allows you to set aside time to just read the Bible and pray. Be mindful of the busyness of the holidays and take time out of your busy day to be with the Lord.
With Christmas coming up in a few weeks, why not read the story of Jesus' birth? At this time of year, many churches celebrate Advent, a celebration of the birth of Christ. What a fitting way to prepare our hearts before Christmas to consider that our Savior came into the world. And when God speaks to us, He speaks to us through His Son (Hebrews 1:2) appointed him heir of all things, and created the world through him. Through Christ, we understand that the proof of God's love for us is in sending his Son to die for us (John 3:16; Romans 5:8) and reconcile us to God. During Advent, we not only commemorate the birth of Christ, but also look forward to his second coming. Each day brings us closer to the return of the King of glory who will lead us to glory and be with us forever.
We learn these by spending time in the Bible and receiving what the Lord is saying through it. When we read the Bible, we can take comfort in the fact that God is speaking because the Bible is authoritative, inerrant, inerrant, and sufficient. God is not human, so he must lie (Numbers 23:19). When everything else in this world passes away, God's word is eternal. We also have the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit reminds us of everything our Lord has said (John 14:26). There is nothing that God speaks to us that is contrary to His Word. Therefore, no matter how chaotic everything is around us, we find peace in our souls.
Hearing God’s Voice Through His Work
The second way we can hear God's voice this holiday season is through God's work, what He has done in His Word and in Christ and in our lives. It's through that. Let's reflect on all that God has done in our lives this year during these difficult times. We understand that seasons like these can be discouraging, but remember that God is not far from you. Sometimes it may seem like a million times that God has said to you, “I will never leave you nor forsake you,” as is often said in the Bible. That's what I'm doing. Never forget that God works everything in our lives (good and bad) for our good (Romans 8:28) to His praise and glory.
stop and pray
When God speaks to us through His Word, we speak to Him in prayer. It's easy to feel overwhelmed and stressed out over planning vacations and managing finances. So instead of stressing, cast your worries on the Lord. Because the Lord cares about you (1 Peter 5:7). As a result, you will be better able to approach the day because you have surrendered everything to God beforehand. I know it's a busy time, but you don't have to accomplish this on your own. God goes before you and walks with you every step of the way.
let's share the love
Don't take this advice to yourself. If you have a family, have a family worship service this Christmas. After opening presents and drinking hot cocoa, join us for a time of family worship. Read the Bible together and teach your children that the reason we celebrate Christmas as Christians is not because of the gifts, but because of the Giver Himself. Then take part in a time of prayer, thanking the Lord for what He has done in your life, and asking Him for continued guidance as the new year approaches.
God has no problem interacting with us. The question is, will we listen? Are we willing to take time during the holiday season to wait on the Lord? Let's consider these things today.
Photo credit: ©GettyImages/nicoletaionescu
