John 10:27: “My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me.”
Timilehin was a young apprentice who followed a master everywhere he went. From dawn until evening, he stayed close, watching how the master shaped wood with steady hands, how he arranged his tools after each task, and how he paused at intervals, not rushed but deliberate, as though time itself served him. He listened carefully to every instruction, treasuring each word as though it were gold, for the master was known far and wide for both his skill and wisdom.
For a long time, the master spoke freely as he worked, explaining why a cut was made a certain way, why patience mattered more than speed, and why rest was as important as labour. Timilehin asked many questions and eagerly wrote down the answers, convinced that mastery lived in explanations.
Then one day, without warning, the master stopped speaking. He continued to work as before – measured, focused, and calm, but not a single word left his mouth. Timilehin became uncomfortable. He waited for instructions that never came, explanations that were never given. Confused and frustrated, he finally broke the silence and asked, “Master, why have you become silent all of a sudden?”
The master did not look up at first. He finished his task, set his tools in order, and only then turned to Timilehin. With a gentle but firm voice, he said, “If you cannot learn to listen without words, you will never understand what I am teaching.”
Timilehin went silent. For the first time, he began to watch more closely, not just what the master did, but how he did it. He noticed the rhythm of his breathing, the patience in his pauses, the care with which even the smallest task was treated. In the quiet, Timilehin realized that the lessons never stopped, just the words did.
And in that silence, understanding began to take root.
You must understand that discipleship is not sustained by constant instructions but by trained listening.
Being called to be with Jesus is the foundation of discipleship, but remaining with Him requires that you learn to listen.
Many believers pray faithfully yet they walk ignorantly because their prayer life is filled with words but empty of attention – they fail to realize that prayer is not a monologue but a deep communion with GOD.
Jesus never rushed conversations with the Father. Often, He withdrew into solitude, not to speak endlessly, but to align, receive, and discern the mind of the Father and a disciple who cannot listen well will definitely misinterpret God’s will, move prematurely, and confuse his personal desires with divine instructions.
Beyond mere praying, disciples must learn THE ART OF LISTENING IN PRAYER.
Listening in prayer demands stillness, humility, and submission because it requires silencing the noise of self, urgency, and distraction and remain still until the Lord speaks and makes a move. God’s voice is not forced on men, it is discerned by those who linger on in His presence and the ear of the disciple should be trained in the place of waiting, to pick movements in the spirit. Until a disciple learns to hear the Lord, following Him will remain difficult.
PRACTICAL APPLICATION: Intentionally include moments of silence and attentiveness in your prayer time today, expecting God to speak to you.
CONFESSION: Lord, I yield my heart, my thoughts, and my will to You. I confess that I am not only called to speak in prayer but to listen with humility and reverence. Train my spiritual ears to recognize Your voice above every other voice. Deliver me from distraction, impatience, and self-direction. I choose to wait, to discern, and to follow only what You reveal. My life will not be governed by impulse but by divine instruction, in Jesus’ name. Amen.
RELATED SCRIPTURES: 1 Samuel 3:9–10, Psalm 85:8, Isaiah 30:21, John 8:47, Revelation 2:7
WEEKLY BIBLE READING: Genesis 4
