Hearing The Voice Of God
I always assumed hearing God’s voice was a phenomenon reserved for people for more spiritual people than me.
Previously, my opinion about people who say they “hear from God” sent up a red flag in my mind. It was a sign of delusion, not of blessing. Just take a look at Acts 2. Even the Apostles were accused of being drunk when they began to speak in tongues. The truth is, to this broken world, the manifestation of God’s glory working in and through normal humans is extremely odd and unusual (1 Corinthians 1:18).
This is how I felt until recently, when I had a chance to catch up with some friends of mine. They were discussing a prayer meeting where the Spirit had moved the people in prayer to prophesy and worship. They were so full of joy and excitement for the things God was saying to them. They were so sure about the direction in which He was leading them that it honestly made me a little skeptical. Regardless, I wanted that.
“Please forgive my ignorance,” I began, “but how do you know it’s Him and not just you? Or worse, the enemy?”
I simply had never heard people talk like this before, much less friends that I respect and admire. Part of me wanted to run the other way, but the other part wanted to believe that God could speak with me too in such a direct and personal way. Thankfully my innocent question did not offend but instead opened up an honest conversation about how they hear God speak into their lives.
Later that night I journaled about our conversation, wondering how it could be so easy for some people to know and hear God’s voice, the way I know and hear my husband’s voice. It was then when I came to a shocking realization: I didn’t truly believe God could speak to me.
*Record scratch*
Wait a minute. Aren’t I a professing, practicing, proclaiming Christian? Don’t I sing every Sunday of the freedom and joy that comes from uninhibited access to the Father? And yet, at my core, I truly believed that I needed to work much harder and be much “better” before He would accept me and desire my friendship. In my heart, I still believed that He was more like a proud and selfish supervisor, purposefully withholding good things from me.
This past Easter was the first time we got to hide Easter eggs for our 18 month old daughter. She was finally a confident walker and seasoned veteran of fine motor skills, and I was giddy with anticipation to see the joy on her face when she found her first egg hidden in the grass. Since the whole point of hunting Easter eggs is to find them, we chose hiding places that were obvious and right in her path. I wanted her to be successful down to the very last one. Similarly, God wants us to find the treasures hidden along our walk of faith. He’s not hiding or withholding. He doesn’t speak in a special secret code that must be deciphered with Bible degrees and years of study. In fact, He doesn’t make us work for it all because He knows that we can’t.
God has already given us his Word on our hearts: “But this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, declares the Lord: I will put my law within them, and I will write it on their hearts. And I will be their God, and they shall be my people.” (Jeremiah 31:33)
God doesn’t withhold any good from us: “But God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” (Romans 5:8)
God desires a close relationship with us: “Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and eat with him, and he with me.” (Revelation 3:20)
God promises that he will share his heart with us: “Call to me and I will answer you, and will tell you great and hidden things that you have not known.” (Jeremiah 33:3)
Unlike the lie I believed for a long time, God does NOT actually hide from me. He does NOT speak in riddles, nor does He tease us, leading us on wild goose chases for His cosmic entertainment. Just realizing this has been an enormous step in my faith journey. Our good Father generously leaves glittering gems of correction, encouragement, and comfort in plain sight. As long as we genuinely seek after Him, He will not let us miss out on all He has for us.
For the Lord God is a sun and shield; the Lord bestows favor and honor. No good thing does he withhold from those who walk uprightly.
Reflection
Do you truly believe God wants to be in relationship with you in a personal way?
Look up John 10:27. What is God responsible for doing? What are we responsible to do?
Journal your thoughts and see if you can identify any lies that have seeped into your assumptions. How will you adjust your mindset to the truth?
Prayer
Father, thank you for never giving up on us, though we are so susceptible to believe lies that contradict your word. I pray that you would continue to stir up our Spirits so that we would be moved to seek after you. Put a divine spotlight on your truth and reveal the lies for what they are so that we can faithfully follow your lead. Amen.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Molly writes from her home in Ojai, CA where she also works full time as wife to Marco, mama to Lydia, and account specialist for a software company. She loves rain, early morning runs, and long road trips. Her happy place is a certain table at a local coffee shop with a pen, an empty notebook, and a few hours (and probably a few lattes!). Her writings can be found over at mollylgonzalez.com.