Listening?
First we have to figure out how to hear
So then faith cometh by hearing,
and hearing by the word of God. Romans 10:17
If you want to get to know the voice of God,
read His word and you will learn to recognize His voice
In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God,
and the Word was God. John 1:1
How did the people in the Bible hear You, Jesus?
Some heard You, some listened
I think of Balaam and how he refused to listen to You
He heard You
He didn’t like what You said
Then You spoke to him through a donkey
Then he listened
He still didn’t like what You said Numbers 22:22-35
It goes to show You can and do use anyone You want
And You will make sure they hear
I guess we should be more concerned when You don’t speak,
when You show no interest in us,
just let us do whatever we want
That might mean You have pulled back
until we start to seek You
My sheep hear my voice, and I know them,
and they follow me: John 10:27
I know sometimes You are silent
If we are seeking You and You are silent, we must be patient
When You speak, it is important
If You try to get our attention and we refuse,
that is another thing entirely
That silence can mean You have turned Your face
because You are exasperated with us,
going about our life without much thought or consideration of You
It is not enough to know about Jesus, we must know Him
Cultivating that relationship and wanting to know Him more
is going to bring you closer to Him in more meaningful ways
He will say to many on the last day, ‘I never knew you!’
If He shows you a glimpse of Himself,
which is always different for each of us,
seek more of Him
Don’t be satisfied with just that one revelation,
search for more of Him like buried treasure
He will share more of Himself with you
Behold, I stand at the door, and knock:
if any man hear my voice, and open the door,
I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me.
Revelation 3:20
If you demonstrate the desire to know Him more
He will draw closer to you
Draw nigh to God, and he will draw nigh to you. James 4:8a
I cannot tell you how to do that, but I can encourage you to seek Him
Try being silent before Him as often as you can
listen for that still, small voice
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 brake 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. 1 Kings 19:11-12
Remember what God has spoken to you in times past
Think of when He taught you something or showed you something
He is interested in spending time with you
He loves you and created you and wants to commune with you
But if from thence thou shalt seek the Lord thy God,
thou shalt find him, if thou seek him with all thy heart
and with all thy soul.
When thou art in tribulation,
and all these things are come upon thee,
even in the latter days, if thou turn to the Lord thy God,
and shalt be obedient unto his voice;
For the Lord thy God is a merciful God;
he will not forsake thee, neither destroy thee,
nor forget the covenant of thy fathers which he sware unto them.
Deuteronomy 4:29-31
Our God is alive
He is not a stone statue or a dead person
He is alive and our Creator,
who formed us in the womb,
has a plan for each of our lives
He has talents and abilities to bestow upon us,
to grow within us
He is sovereign and capable of multi-tasking to a great degree
He desires to use us to our full ability
to develop His work in us
If we seek Him, He will reveal to us our purpose for His Kingdom
If we are humble and remember that He is God,
that He is interested in our lives
and He longs to speak to each one of us uniquely