And he said, "Go forth, and stand upon the mount before the LORD." And behold, the LORD passed by, and a great and strong wind rent the mountains, and broke in pieces the rocks before the LORD, but the LORD was not in the wind; and after the wind an earthquake, but the LORD was not in the earthquake; and after the earthquake a fire, but the LORD was not in the fire; and after the fire a still small voice. And when Eli'jah heard it, he wrapped his face in his mantle and went out and stood at the entrance of the cave. (1 Kings 19:11-13)

The only way to be able to really listen to what God is calling you for, is to spend time with Him, in the Silent Sanctuary of your Church and of your heart. You have to turn off all internal noise, all music, tv, thoughts, and listen. Our conversations with God are not one-sided, so sometimes you have to stop talking and give God an opportunity to speak. In essence, to truly listen, not to just hear because to hear is fairly easy, however, to listen, that is the greater challenge, because listening implies waiting, listening implies understanding, listening is what will help you to better understand your vocation.

In the Bible, there is a man by the name of Samuel, who when he was younger kept getting up thinking his father Eli was calling him, after about the third time, his father finally realized what was happening and told Samuel that when he hears the voice again to say these simple words, the same words we should all have on our lips during our discernment process: “Speak Lord, your servant is listening, and, as a reminder of why we are saying what we are saying to add: “and if you will not speak, I will continue to listen.”

It may sound like a contemplative approach to the world, but, truly it is not, it is merely being open, in the truest way possible, to the silence and peace that God wants to offer, it is merely staying in the inner room of our hearts and conducting all affairs, all business, as it were, from there. In short, it is merely allowing God to permeate our entire being, and letting Him dwell in the silence our souls.

Discernment is a life long process, and what fits today may not tomorrow, however, as St. Josemaria Escriva and St. Francis De Sales remind, you should be content with the life you have now, because that is where God has brought you thus far. While He may be working on you during that time, there is a level of trust that is needed. Granted, you probably want answers and you want them now, but you always have to remember that, as trite as it sounds, God works in His own time, and sometimes (most of the time) that time never coalesces with our time. In other words, you need to pray, discern, and give it to God. Giving to God, however, does not mean you give it to Him, let Him have it for a bit, take it back, examine it, make sure all is well, and give it back to Him. No, giving it to God, is leaving it in His hands, and, in time, you will know what it is God is calling you to.

That is why you always must be opened and ready to listen so that you may be properly disposed, as it were, to the power of silence and the importance of what it means in our lives and in our prayer. Starting especially, in your own prayer, because it is from there that we learn to listen, to discern and to truly be still and know that He is God.