Hello?…God?... Are you there?
Have you ever felt like you can’t hear God? Maybe you could at one point but now you're not quite sure. I have, actually several times. The enemy tries to come at these points and put lies in our ears that we can’t hear from God, deceiving us that this is the norm. Or maybe you’ve tried to hear from God, but you’ve gotten discouraged and you’ve accepted that God doesn’t speak directly to you. I have good news, that is so far from the truth, and I hope this blog will encourage you, because we serve a God who is always speaking and hears our every prayer. Personally I need to hear from God, there are a lot of things I’m trying to make decisions on, do I do a second year? What is God calling me to next? With everything that’s happening in the world right now our ability to hear God is all the more important.
Ask Him. Matthew 7:7-8 “Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives; the one who seeks finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened.”
I think it’s funny as humans how we complicate things like we have to go through an extensive to do list in order to hear from God. Even bringing this blog together I found myself making things way more complicated than it is. God wants to speak to us; He sent His son so that He could be with us (Emmanuel: God with us). When we ask God to hear from Him we are positioning our hearts to receive. That position of seeking God pleases His heart, or as my good friend Tow Mater says “Happier than a tornado in a trailer park.” While slightly out of context, the point is God is overjoyed when we turn and seek Him.
Be Obedient. John 10:27 “My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me.” God’s obedient children hear Him best. I think a lot of times people think it’s a hearing issue when really it’s an obedience issue. The better we can steward what God has revealed to us the more He can entrust us with. God speaks through His living Word and by reading it His character is revealed. If you can’t be obedient with what He shows you in the Bible then you're probably listening to something that’s not of Him. Hint: It’s likely your flesh. Every time I walk in obedience God’s voice is clearest. Choosing to do FCA was an act of obedience which is leading me to a lifestyle of obedience, however, I can still be disobedient while in the program, so I have to be mindful of my flesh and its tendencies to pull me away from God.
Embrace the Silence. I’m learning that silence can be a good thing. One of my Convoy of Hope field team leaders, Rob Fraizer from our recent mission trip to Wichita KS, told me this, “God’s silence is good; it creates a desperation in our hearts to seek Him more." In 1 Kings 19 God speaks to Elijah; it says a wind, an earthquake, and fire came but God was not in any of them, instead it said God was in a whisper. His still small voice draws us in, we have to be close to hear His whisper. It's an invitation to come closer to Him. When we can’t hear God it’s good to silence all other noises and voices that are contrary to Him so we can tune into His voice. God may intentionally quiet His voice just so we come closer to him.
This was totally a sermon blog written for me by me, about some things I’ve been thinking about this past week. Listening to God’s voice and leading is so important and is something I desire to be proficient in. I hope this encourages you to seek and listen to your heavenly Father as well.
Blessings,
-Isaiah