My sheep listen to My voice; I know them, and they follow Me.
–John 10:27
Lord, my ears are open, and I am listening. Help me to hear you speaking. I want to know your thoughts. You are more important than anything to me.
God Is Speaking
It is so very easy to believe that God doesn’t speak today. We see hard things happening everywhere and to good people, but this doesn’t mean God is silent. There was a time where He was silent, but in Acts 2, He made Himself available to all people. For those who don’t have relationship with Him, His voice beckons you. For those who declare Jesus as Lord with their mouth and believe in their heart that God raised Jesus from the dead, His Holy Spirit lives in you, guiding you into all Truth. (John 16:12-16)
His Voice Is Not Like Other Voices
The world is filled with many voices: billboards, tv, internet, radio, friends, family, strangers, spirits of fear, spirits of confusion, spirits of death, spirits of destruction, spirits of darkness, spirits of temptation, etc. For most of us, prior to Jesus, those were the only voices we knew. But, there was always one voice pulling on us, drawing us to Himself. God's heart is for us. He calls to those who don’t know Him. His voice is heard in those who know Him. His voice is found in nature. His voice is found in circumstances. His voice can be loud. His voice can be silent. But, many other voices are found in these places as well, voices that tell a different story. Therefore, His voice is always tested by the Bible, Sola Scriptura. (1 Kings 19:11-13)
Know His Voice
When you meet a person, you learn their name, their face, their voice. After talking with them enough, you recognize their voice when they call from behind. Eventually, you will recognize their voice over the phone. Inevitably, you learn their language choice and style enough to recognize anything written by them. You learn their voice. The more we live in written Word, the more we learn His voice in prayer, in circumstances, in our thought-life, and in our heart of hearts. His Spirit speaks with a distinct goodness. It becomes clear what He is speaking in a given season of our lives, as His Word becomes prevalent all around us. It becomes clear when He is guiding us to have His heart for a person in a given moment and even what to speak in a given situation. We don’t need loud, booming voices. In fact, most people would think themselves crazy if they heard that. No, our western minds wouldn’t believe Jesus if He appeared to us in a dream or a vision (which we would mistake for a daydream anyway). We would dismiss these things rather than test them against the Bible. His heart is for us, and Scripture is how we learn His voice. (2 Timothy 3:16; 1 Thessalonians 5:19-22; 1 John 4:1; Acts 17:11)
Lord, help us to know your voice so well that we honor you with our choices. Help us to recognize when what we are hearing is in your heart. That we might discern right from wrong and decisions in the season and the moment. Help us to know that you are with us, Lord.
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