listening — Daily Devotion — Kristen Alexis Cave

For the longest time, I was under the impression that my daily quiet time with the Lord had to be super regimented. I thought I needed to study my Bible for a certain amount of time, read a devotional or two, spend 30 minutes praying, write in my journal, and have worship music playing softly in the background. But then one day, my friend and mentor Elaine debunked this idea in about 30 seconds. She told me, “Kristen, your interactions with your friends and family look different from day to day. So why can’t that be the case with the time you spend with God?”

Kristen CaveMarch 27, 2024quiet time, Bible reading, journal, God speaks, listening, routineComment

Are You Listening To God?

Have you ever been in a conversation with someone who could only seem to talk about themselves? They tell you about the unending busyness with their job, the ups and downs of their relationship with their significant other, and the recent conflict they had with a friend. They might even take the time to ask for your help or your advice, but then they don’t stop talking long enough for you to actually answer them.

Kristen CaveMarch 18, 2024listening, speak, God speaks, quiet time, prayer, unanswered prayers, communication, relationshipsComment

Check On Your People

A while back, I wrote and published a devotion called Encouragement For The One Who’s Stressed Out. The day the post went live, I received quite a few messages from people saying things like, “I needed this today Kristen!” or “Thanks for sharing - it’s been a stressful day here.” While I always love getting messages like this and knowing that God is working through these devotions to help and encourage other people, those weren’t the only kinds of messages I got that afternoon.

Kristen CaveDecember 6, 2023stress, overwhelm, help, friends, family, community, encouragement, listening, burdenComment

Learn To Be Still

Finding peace and quiet in the midst of our crazy and sometimes chaotic lives can seem nearly impossible. Between school, work, church, family, friends, hobbies, and errands, it’s difficult to make time for a full eight hours of sleep, much less make time to be still while you’re awake. We tend to think that if we’re not moving or doing something, we’re not being productive. But friend, that’s just not true. Choosing to be quiet and still in the presence of our Heavenly Father is one of the best things we can do when it comes to our walk with Him.

Kristen CaveNovember 1, 2023be still, quiet time, listening, prayer, distractionsComment

Ask Another Question

I’m a big fan of asking questions. I think they’re a great way to get to know people, but I also think they’re great tools to engage in deep conversation with people you already know. And I love me some deep conversations. But what I’ve learned over the past few years, it’s that asking one question isn’t enough. Usually, in my experience, it’s the second, third, and fourth questions that really allow you to dive in deep with someone. The follow-up questions are the ones that help you learn more about a person and discover what’s really going on in their mind and heart.

Kristen CaveOctober 24, 2023questions, asking questions, attentiveness, attention, listening, relationships, friendshipComment

Listening To God When You're Angry

Today’s key verse is one I’ve heard more times than I can count throughout my life time. “Be quick to listen, slow to speak, and slow to become angry.” I’ve heard these words in sermons and podcasts. I’ve read them in Bible studies and devotionals and Instagram posts. It’s a very popular verse. But typically, when this verse has come up in my journey of following Jesus, it’s always been applied to the way we treat other people.

Kristen CaveJuly 27, 2023quiet time, listening, trust, anger, prayersComment

A Nudge From God

One of my favorite things we did at our wedding was that we asked a few people to give speeches during the reception. My Matron of Honor and best friend of 17 years, Melanie, was up first. Then Kevin’s Best Man Jason spoke. And then rounding out the line-up, my dad gave a speech.

Kristen CaveMay 24, 2022prayer, nudges from God, listening, following Jesus, changed plans, trusting God, trustComment

Aching And Believing

As I've been reading through the Psalms over the last few weeks, I've noticed a pattern in many of the chapters written by King David. So often, he starts with an aching in his heart, a pain point that seems to be too much for him. He cries out to God, asking the Lord where He is, what He's doing, and why He feels so far away.

Kristen CaveNovember 29, 2021psalms, pain, hurt, hope, hopeless, listening, prayer, unanswered prayers, God's faithfulness, believeComment

Ask Another Question

I’m a big fan of asking questions. I think they’re a great way to get to know people, but I also think they’re great tools to engage in deep conversation with people you already know. And I love me some deep conversations. But what I’ve learned over the past few years, it’s that asking one question isn’t enough. Usually, in my experience, it’s the second, third, and fourth questions that really allow you to dive in deep with someone. The follow-up questions are the ones that help you learn more about a person and discover what’s really going on in their mind and heart.

Kristen CaveOctober 12, 2021questions, asking questions, attentiveness, attention, listening, relationships, friendshipComment

Have you signed up for my Daily Devotion email?