Dancers and athletes work from their “core,” actors from their “center,” singers from the “diaphragm,” and golfers talk about swinging from the “thoracic spine,” or the “chest.” Hearing from God is like that: He speaks to a place deep down and it boils up from there, filling your whole body. God speaks in your bones, your soul, your cells, your blood—not just in your heart. In the best cases, He makes His voice so clear that to doubt it is sin—you simply KNOW that you cannot entertain doubt, that doing so would be wrong.
But when does God speak that clearly? Not often. He does not speak to me that clearly even once a year. And when He does, it comes as a surprise. God speaks at times I do not expect and about SUBJECTS I do not expect (I’ve lost count of the times I prayed about one thing and God spoke to me about another). He speaks the message He wants to speak at the time He chooses to speak. I always find the experience fresh and unexpected and raw and amazing. God is NEVER predictable.
I can never predict when God WILL speak. But I can predict when God will NOT speak…
He will not speak when my heart is unsettled and distracted, or when I am not open to every possibility. If I faced three job opportunities, for example, but was only willing to consider two of them, God may withhold His direction. He only speaks when I am ready to obey.
“Pray … that the Lord your God may tell us the way we should walk and the thing we should do…. Whether it is pleasant or unpleasant, we will obey the voice of the Lord our God” Jeremiah 42:3,6.
If you need to hear from God, check your heart. Are you ready to accept the answer—”whether it is pleasant or unpleasant”? If not, He will probably remain silent, waiting until your heart is ready to obey.
God, we trust You. Make us willing to obey, and help us to listen.
ΑΩ
Household Words: 