Therefore, as the Holy Spirit says, “Today, if you hear his voice….”
Hebrews 3:17
I think one of the hardest lessons a believer (new/old) must learn is how to hear and discern the voice of the Lord. This isn’t a matter of naturally getting better the older you get, rather a matter of spirituality. The greater our union with the Father, son and Holy Spirit, the keener our perception and discernment. There can be no righteous discernment without intimacy.
Hearing and obeying are key to discerning. An unwillingness to hear and/or obey dulls our discernment. Joshua 1:8 comes to mind as I write: this book of the law shall not depart out of our mouth, but we are to meditate daily to do all that is written in it. Success comes with the doing, having our ears awakened to hear as discipled ones.
Jesus, as the word, primarily leads us through His written word. It is as we look intently, prayerfully, into these scriptures that the Holy Spirit, who has been sent from the Father to lead and guide us, breathes on His word making it come alive in our hearts.
So again, The number one way God speaks to us today is through His word. Much like the disciples said on the road to Emmaus from Luke 24:32, Did not our heart burn within us, while he talked with us by the way, and while he opened to us the scriptures?”
The further my eyes, ears and heart are removed from Him, the duller my hearing and understanding becomes, carrying with it a greater potential for error. The amount of time required before the Father and His word, in prayerful submission, seeking to hear, depends on how impartial I am to what He says.
Once spoken, it is a seed that goes forth for His creative purpose. Now it becomes a matter of my willingness to receive, guard and nurture it to bring forth the fruit He has ordained within that seed. The question then becomes the issue of heart. What kind of soil did it land on/in?
The still small voice reminds us of Elijah in the cave. God is not usually in the big displays when it comes to personal conversations and directions.
The dangerous places in my world have been when I wanted a fuller picture of what I was perceiving. I wanted, not just the first word, I wanted a sentence. I wanted the end result, I wanted to know what, how, and when; which always gave room for human reasoning and ultimately requiring a longer time to arrive at obedience. The postscript to this would be that at some point “I” had to stop asking all the questions, and simply step out on the one word He had given. “Come” isn’t a full sentence but it is a definitive and directional word. Peters response to Jesus didn’t include a conversation, it simply led to an act.
For my part, wrestling occurs only where I am partial to the process and outcome.
My thoughts here began as I read Acts chapter sixteen, verses six and seven. Paul is being ‘forbidden’ by the Holy Spirit to go to a certain place. Paul attempted to go where he wanted, where he thought best, but the ‘Spirit of Jesus did not allow them’.
In the book of Romans chapter eight, the Apostle Paul wrote “ For all who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God.” It will prove increasingly important to hear the will of God as we move into the future. As we posture ourselves for entrance into our New Year, let’s do so with unbiased ears to hear what the Spirit is saying.