Listening vs. Knowing

Today I took my dogs for a hike in a place I have never hiked before.
It was an amazingly beautiful spot and I found myself captivated with the natural design around me.
We had been hiking about an hour or so when I received a prompting to veer off of the trail and walk towards a particular rock formation.
There wasn't any logical reason to prefer walking to this formation over any of the other beautiful spots around me, but I followed the prompting.
As I got closer to where I was walking I started to hear the flowing of water.
Even closer and I could see a creek flowing over the most beautiful, wavy granite rock you have ever seen. The rock itself made smooth, glossy waves, like you would see from boats on the water. Interspersed in the gray rock was the most beautiful patterns of rosy quartz, swirling in and out of the stone.
Following the wavy rock lead to a pool of icy water, and a waterfall, falling a great depth to the river below.
This was literally a sculpture made by mother nature.
As I sat in this sacred location, I found myself pondering the prompting that had brought me to this spot, and wondering if this was the same type of prompting that mother nature uses to lead animals to her supplies of food and water for them.
I have gone through many periods of working with animals where I have felt that they must have a psychic "knowing" of things (and indeed they often do) and had assumed that it was this knowing that lead wild animals to things needed for their survival.
For example, they would "know" that water was in a certain direction, and follow that knowing to the water.
But my experience with this serene location lead me to wonder if maybe it isn't a knowing that guides animals in nature to things they need for survival; maybe it is a prompting like the one I had.
This may not initially seem like an important distinction, but the implications of this are far reaching.
Wanting to "know" things in advance is something I have struggled with since recognizing my intuitive and psychic abilities. And indeed, I can often follow a pattern of energy to "know" what is going to happen in the future, or even sometimes have unasked for visions or premonitions that speak to me in advance of something happening. "Knowing," however, I think can give us a false and dangerous sense of control.
Listening on the other hand, requires faith and obedience to a higher power--a power which I am coming to learn is far more capable of shaping things than I am!
Listening is more difficult than knowing, because is requires, faith, obedience, and surrender. On the other hand, its rewards, as I was shown today through nature's sculpture, is far more great than "knowing."
I think the animals have a lot to teach us when it comes to "listening." Animals follow their inner guidance fully, without resistance or doubt. This is why they are able to live so well in balance with all around them.
Us Humans on the other hands, so often think that we "know better" and often refuse to follow our inner voice without the certainty of "knowing."
Today was a strong lesson for me in the rewards of listening without knowing.
Onward, to wherever it leads next.