I’M LISTENING LORD

Song Showcase/Story Behind The Song – January 2009 – by Gordon Jensen

I’M LISTENING LORD

Album: I’m Listening Lord

Words and Music by Gordon Jensen

People often wonder about songs and what inspires them, what events in a songwriter’s life, what influences produce the message set to music we call a song.

I wrote a song titled, “I’m Listening Lord”, a song about prayer. The bible says in Isaiah 30:21 NKJV “Your ears shall hear a word behind you, saying, “This is the way, walk in it,” Whenever you turn to the right hand or whenever you turn to the left.” Prayer is, simply stated, communication with God. Note the family of words which includes communication, communiqué, communion, community and even our high tech, “.com”. These words and terms are synonymous with fellowship, participatory fellowship.

All fellowship with God was lost in Eden long ago when the first Adam sinned. It was lost to him and all his progeny and heirs forever. The good news is that the fellowship was restored by the last Adam’s (Jesus Christ) sinless life, death and resurrection for all who would embrace it by faith becoming part of His new family and community!

Our fellowship with God is based in our communication and communion with Him and His with us, in other words, our prayer life. This kind of prayer life is a lifestyle that moves far beyond saying a few words publicly or privately. It includes motives, desires, attitudes, thoughts, actions and activities. All of these in relationship with other people constitute our relationship with The Lord on a 24/7 basis (that’s how the apostle Paul could instruct us to “pray without ceasing”).

Prayer is us speaking to God, but far more importantly, it is Him speaking to us! It is a level of fellowship where we live our lives in God’s presence regardless of what we’re doing or dealing with at any given time. Far and away, it is God speaking to us that is essential! Jesus quoted Torah in the Wilderness Temptation declaring, “It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God.” The word “proceeds” is both present tense and continual! It is not what we have to say to Him that is going to change things and impart life, but rather what He has to say to us.

We can hear the voice of God, we can and must! Jesus said, “my sheep hear my voice and they follow me.” The stronger a relationship grows between people, the more familiar they become in communication. Have you noticed some people make phone calls and never say, “hi, this is so and so”. They just start talking and merely the sound of their voice identifies them and makes the connection immediately.

God speaks in many different ways and confirms what He’s saying in many ways. He speaks through His eternal written word, the Holy Scriptures. No other way He may speak to us will ever contradict His written word. He speaks through the still, small voice of the indwelling Spirit, through spiritual gifts operating in the body of Christ that we are connected to, through dreams and visions, amazing circumstances and co-incidences and through parents, spouses, children, friends and a host of other ways! Yet, it all comes down to recognizing that familiar voice and the accompanying peace through which He guides us.

In Mark’s gospel in the fourth chapter, concerning the word of The Lord, Jesus warns us to “take heed what you hear.” If we know we’ve heard His voice, we must heed it by acting obediently. If we’re not willing to obey His instruction, we probably don’t really believe we’ve heard His voice. Obedience to His voice can mean the difference between joy and sorrow, victory and defeat, even life or death!

I vividly remember an experience that took place in the early 1970s. Living in Detroit at the time, a friend and I were driving north on I-75 on our way to a ministers meeting in Traverse City. The weather was warm and it was a beautiful day with good road conditions. My friend and I were engrossed in conversation as I drove the car. For a good twenty minutes or more, we had been following directly behind a car towing a boat trailer. Strapped to the trailer, upside down, was an aluminum fishing boat. It was something you often saw on the roads. I thought little of it as we drove the maximum speed allowed in the right lane of the interstate behind that boat and trailer for many, many miles.

Suddenly, inexplicably, on the inside of me came something beyond strong, intrusive thoughts. It was a voice making a command, “get in the left lane, speed up and get even with that car and do it right now!” Instinctively, I knew this was something beyond me and I needed to obey. Immediately, I pulled out into the left lane while pushing the gas pedal until I was even with the boat-towing car. As I got evenly beside that vehicle, both my friend and I witnessed a spectacle in the mirrors and out the windows that sent chills through us. In that instant, the aluminum boat that had been strapped upside down to the trailer broke loose from all restraints and, caught in the air current, flew straight back onto the highway bouncing end for end, over and over before finally flying off the road into the grass. It flew off the trailer into the very area our car had been occupying just a moment before. There is no doubt that our car would have been wrecked and we may well have been killed or seriously injured.

It was the voice of The Lord, the Rhema Word of God that saved our lives that day. It was not enough to have heard it, because I could have doubted it, argued with it, dismissed it or just delayed with terrible consequences. That voice had to be obeyed which required an immediate response.

I have heard the voice of God many times over the years since that event happened and every time I have acknowledged The Lord’s voice in obedience, I have witnessed wonderful and miraculous outcomes!.......... I’m Listening Lord!