Listening To God

My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me. John 10:27

"Trust in the LORD with all your heart; do not depend on your own understanding. Seek his will in all you do, and he will direct your paths." Proverbs 3:5-6

One of the concepts we've tried to emphasize in the last few devotionals is the idea that our relationship with Jesus has much in common with our relationships with friends and family. When we demonstrate effort and commitment in our relationships, they flourish. When neglected or abandoned, they suffer and decline.

Last week's devotional examined the difficulty many of us have with attentive listening, so with that in mind, let's look at how we can apply the concepts from that devotional to our relationship with Jesus.

Does God talk to us? Can we actually perceive God communicating with us? Absolutely! God does not typically speak in an audible voice, but He most certainly is speaking with us. The voice of God whispers directly into our heart and soul, guiding us, counseling us and comforting us. But are we listening, or are we too busy talking? God will not scream at us to pay attention, so if we are too preoccupied with our own thoughts, His gentle voice will be drowned out.

Our prayer time must consist of listening as well as speaking. We need to attentively reach for that small voice and eagerly let it guide us. In quiet prayer, ask God to reveal His will and then listen patiently for His response. The more often you do this, the easier it will become.

However, if you fail to do this, you will miss out on the advice and direction God is offering. Worse still, your relationship will suffer, just as a marriage suffers when one partner simply refuses to listen.

For Christians who know Jesus intimately, the deterioration of their relationship which comes as a result of not listening is a steep downward slope. For those who are just getting to know Him, it can be a serious impediment to growth in their relationship. If you consistently fail to pay attention to what God is telling you, it will become progressively harder to make out His will against the background noise of your own desires. It may become so difficult that you will no longer believe that God even speaks at all.

Let me close with a powerful example from Erwin Raphael McManus. His son Aaron had run into trouble at camp and was preparing to leave. In a final effort to convince him to stay, Erwin had the following conversation.

I asked him a simple question: "Aaron, is there any voice inside you telling you what you should do?"

He paused and then responded, "Yes."

"What's the voice telling you?"

"That I should stay and work it out."

I asked him, "Can you identify that voice?"

He immediately said, "Yes, It's God."

It was the moment I had waited for. I didn't expect it to come under those circumstances. Nevertheless, it was there. I turned to Aaron and said, "Aaron, do you realize what just happened? You just heard the voice if the living God. He spoke to you from within your soul. Forget everything else that just happened. God has spoken to you, and you were able to recognize Him."

I'll never forget his response: "Well, I'm still not doing what He said."

I explained to him that was his choice, but this is what would happen. If he rejected the voice of God and chose to disobey His guidance, his heart would become hardened, and his ears would become dull. And if he continued on this path, there would be a day when he would never again hear the voice of God. There would come a day when he would deny that God even speaks or has ever spoken to him. But if he treasured God's voice and responded to Him with obedience, then his heart would be softened, and his ears would always be able to hear the whisper of God into his soul. (Erwin Raphael McManus, The Barbarian Way, pp. 87-88, Thomas Nelson, 2005)

by Michael Lane, Executive Director, Delve Christian Ministries