Still More on Listening

Yes, I am sensing that I need to write still more on hearing God's voice. I will explain why after I give you two more links that have really good reflections on the election, both of them addressing in different ways the lack of transformation in our culture. First, check out the wonderful wisdom of Cal Thomas by clicking here. Then check out the wonderful, humble appeal from my friend, Tony Stoltzfus by clicking here.

Now back to listening to God. I think last week's blog is argument enough for why I wish to keep writing about this even though many, many books have been written, etc. So today I want to talk about the place of Scripture in hearing God's voice, plus a few other thoughts on discerning Papa's voice.

People often ask me, "What does God's voice sound like?" Hmmm, God sounds like…well, He sounds like God! So perhaps the best way to discern His voice is to get to know Him via His word. If you will memorize and meditate passages that describe His character and purposes, and if you will get to know Him by really getting to know Jesus by reading the Gospels over and over, you will improve immensely in your ability to discern His voice. Take 1 Corinthians 13, Galatians 5:22-23, for example. These passages us some wonderful filters for determining whether what we are hearing is God. If Paul says, for example, that "love is patient, love is kind, etc." and God is love as we are told in 1 John 4:16, then don't you suppose God's words to you will be characterized by patience, kindness, etc.? You get the picture, I think, yet many believers somehow believe that God's voice is always confrontational, rather hard, etc. What's wrong with this picture!? And Galatians tells us that the fruit of God (His Spirit) is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. That tells me that God's voice will be loving, joyful, patient, kind, good, faithful, gentle and not filled with rage or anything out of control. I hope this is "messing with" some of you!

Now add to these passages like others like 1 Corinthians 14:3 and Ephesians 4:29 that tell us how we are to speak to one another and it will help open your ears to hearing His encouragement and frequent expressions of love for you. This in turn will help you begin to hear Him for the sake of relationship not just direction and guidance.

And speaking of "guidance," even the word guidance seems like an inappropriate term to me when applied to our relationship with God. To me it speaks of my asking for something to do in a way that implies that I view myself as a slave, not a son, or else it speaks of a basically independent life in which I "check in with the boss" and then rush out to do what He wants on my own. It seems to me rather that “guidance” is what will flow out of a continuing conversation with God as we walk with Him throughout our day. As we converse with Him, we discuss our life’s direction in the light of His heart and purposes and it unfolds before us. This to me is what Jesus was describing in John 5:17-19. Yes, there is submission to God’s purposes, but it’s the submission of a deeply loved and therefore loving son or daughter, not the servile, self-interested submission of a slave! And yes, living as a slave smacks of profound self-interest since the obedience comes in order to preserve or gain something for oneself rather than because of true love and desire to serve the interests of the Father whom we love! Think about it and you will discern that what I write here is true.

I close with a few quotes from Smith Wigglesworth that I have given in an earlier blog--just good reminders on what God sounds like (from Smith Wigglesworth Speaks to Students).

“The difference is joy, gladness, expression; instead of sadness, sorrow and depression. You are always right to test the spirits to see whether they are of God. If you do not, then you will be sure to be caught napping.” (Page 128)
“If ever you know anything about God, it will be peace.... God showed me a long time ago... that if I was disturbed in my spirit and was at unrest I had missed the plan.” (Page 129).
“So these voices, if they have taken you out of peace, you will know it is not the will of God. But If the Spirit speaks, he will bring harmony and joy, because the Spirit always brings three things: comfort, consolation, and edification and will make you sing songs in the night..”.. “If you go breathlessly to the Bible, looking for confirmation of the voice, that is the devil.” (Page 131).

On my next post I will continue to write about hearing God's voice. We will look at the place of surrender and stillness in learning this.

Listening for Papa's kind voice,

Tom, Abba's Little Boy