“The one who has my commands and keeps them is the one who loves me. And the one who loves me will be loved by my Father. I will also love him and will reveal myself to him.”
John 14:21
According to Henry Blackaby, author of Experiencing God, “A critical requirement for understanding and experiencing God is clearly knowing when He is speaking. If people don’t know when God is speaking, they are in trouble at the heart of their Christian lives.”
The Bible gives us numerous examples of God speaking to His children from Genesis to Revelation. Some were visited by the Angel of the Lord, which many theologians believe was a Christophany—a pre-incarnate appearance of Jesus Christ. God spoke to Moses through a burning bush, and to others through angels, visions and/or dreams.
If only the Lord spoke through a whirlwind, as He did with Job (38:1), then maybe we’d be more likely to hear. And yet, unless we’re truly walking intimately with Him, we will not recognize His voice.
In John 10:27, Jesus said, “My sheep hear My voice. I know them and they follow Me.”
We cannot hear the voice of Jesus if we aren’t listening. And we can’t listen if we aren’t still. We live in a fast-paced, chaotic world, inundated with every distraction the enemy throws at us. If we can’t step away from all the noise (half of which comes through our cell phones) then we will be unlikely to discern when God is speaking.
True intimacy takes time and attention. Throwing out a quick prayer and rushing onto the next thing on our agenda isn’t likely to result in hearing God speak. We may live in this world, but as followers of Christ, we are kingdom citizens who are called to live as Jesus did, doing only the Father’s will.
Because of our sin nature, and the continual pull of the world, God tells us how to successfully navigate this battlefield. Read through Eph 6:10-18. The helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit that Paul speaks of brings us to the Word of God and prayer.
And these weapons that God makes available to us require seeking His presence through reading the Word and prayer every day. Over time our relationship deepens, and we begin to see where He is working around us and asking us to join Him.
Preparing our hearts and minds as we go about our day, being prayerful and watchful as we walk into the grocery store, the workplace, and even church will open our spiritual eyes—and all we have to do is obediently join Him!
If we don’t, we will miss the best life ever.
Prayer: Heavenly Father, only through the work of Your Holy Spirit are we able to walk more intentionally, more intimately with You. Please open our ears and our hearts that we may discern Your still, small voice. Help us to stop, pray, and listen in every circumstance so we will be better able to join in Your work. Let us not be distracted by the noise of this world but instead be drawn into Your kingdom that we may serve You better.
