Listening in the Lava Tunnels

The lava bed tunnels of Southern Oregon, formed near Medicine Lake, are an attraction that brings in casual hikers, deep cave explorers, and families looking for educational experiences. These lava bed tunnels are beneath hard, black, rocky surfaces of cooled lava, which are now also sprinkled with scrub-brush.  Visitors walk along the uneven surfaces, which feature openings leading to tunnels and larger caves underground.

As a child, my parents took us to this natural wonder often. I distinctly remember picnic lunches out of the hatchback of an 80’s Subaru and playing hide-and-seek in these tunnels.  I remember hiding in the pitch-black listening intently for my brother’s footsteps crunching across obsidian and lava gravel.

As an adult, there are days that I feel like I’m hiding in the pitch-black listening intently for the voice of God.  Those are the days that I know that I need to focus on how to draw closer to God.  Essentially how to listen more closely to how and when God speaks.

In order to do that, try these two techniques:

1. Read your Bible…as in daily and with deliberate intent to truly study.
2. Listen…as in sitting still without distractions of your family or phone.

I’ve found that when I can’t hear God, it’s not because He isn’t speaking. Rather it’s because I’ve become too busy to listen.

Imagine your child-like faith, playing hide-and-seek in the lava tunnels.  Then start practicing your intent listening skills.  You’ll then be poised to hear the voice of God.

~Emily