It is priceless to hear God’s voice especially in times when you desperately need direction. But why are there people who are in life and death situations or rock bottom situations where they need to hear God’s voice but they do not. They call out to him but they do not hear him. It is like when they need Him the most is when He is so far away. There is a reason people are experiencing this and is not God’s fault. Neither is it his will. You are not supposed to grow a relationship out of needs. Any relationship that is based on needs will crash. You have experienced people who keep on calling you only to ask for money every time. What happens? You begin to avoid or block the person’s call. If the only time you visit your father or mother is out of “I need help for this thing and that thing” then there is no relationship. The best relationships are relationships that are built out of love.
The Paramount Way To Hear
You won’t hear God’s voice if it is sort only at times of needs. You do not pray just because you have a list of request that needs answering. You pray because you want to have intimacy with your Father. You are to seek his face out of love not waiting for problems to arrive then you schedule an emergency meeting. Jesus sacrificed himself so that we may be reconciled to a Father and son relationship. It was established by love. (John 3:16). If it is established by love then it is sustained by love. Love is paramount in hearing from your Father.
If you walk in love, you will hear God more. Walking in love means that you are consciously and constantly communicating with God. Love is not about being perfect, having perfect church attendance, or not missing a day in reading the bible. It is about sacrifice. You need to sacrifice a part of your 24 hours to pray, to read God’s word, to meditate and to practice. If you give God’s voice importance in your life, you will hear him. Those who do not seek God’s voice in times of calm are those who do not see it as necessary or important. That automatically means that they are refusing counsel which leads to calamity, fear, distress and destruction having its free course in their lives (Proverbs 1: 22-24).
The Practical Way To Hear
We know that practice makes perfect. If you practice a particular skill now, when it is needed, you will be in a perfect position to meet the challenge. David killed a bear and a lion. That was his practice. When Goliath came, he was in a perfect position to defeat him. You need to be hearing God’s voice long before any drama starts so you can always have a happy ending. It is not when you are drowning that you choose to learn how to swim. Do you know that if you are learning how to swim and you keep doing what your swimming instructor tells you to do, it will become easier to understand him more. This leads to mastering how to swim. So also when you do the written word it becomes easier to understand God’s way and handle any challenge that comes.
The Principal way To Hear
It is wisdom to learn how to swim so that when a water situation comes, you can be above it. That is why wisdom is the principal thing (Proverbs 4:7). If you are not seeking wisdom every day, when you enter a problem and need an answer, you will not get one (Proverbs 1:28). If you see God’s word like a fire extinguisher, you will only seek him in fiery times. See him as your daily bread. See him as something you need daily and you will truly hear God at all times. Jesus said, “I am the bread of life” (John 6:48). He said it so we can see him that way. Your bookshelf where you keep your bible should not know more of the word of God than your heart. Get it in your heart. You can read it in or hear it in. There are many ways now to get the word in your heart. Do it and be consistent.
When you learn how to swim, it becomes part of you. If you fall into the water, you can swim your way out. The ability to swim was inside you but was turned on by the situation. So also we practice God’s word so that when troubles come, the word of God in us for that situation comes alive. That is God speaking and we act accordingly. That is what Jesus did when the devil tempted him three (3) times. You can do it as well but you need to consistently put the word in your heart and you will begin to hear God’s voice with ease.
God bless you for this piece it was a great and expository one keep up the good work!