Am I hearing God? When I was a little girl, I sang in the yard and danced. In the freedom of a child, I worshiped God with my whole being. I was sorrowful and scared, when there was no one else to listen, I threw myself on the lap of God, the Father. He pulled me close. He held me tight. And He showed me His provision. In child-like trust, I believed Him. My world was made right again.
Hearing God is part of every prayer time.
As I grew older and understood more clearly the ‘rules’ of being a Christian and talking to God, my prayer time was filled with awkward pauses. I couldn’t think of what to say but I knew what I wanted but I didn’t know how to ask. Where was the trust I once had?
As the rules became clear to me, sin also found me. I didn’t want to follow the rules. Because I had other things I wanted to do instead of reading my bible or praying. I lost the relationship with my God. And I felt guilt and shame. Are you hearing God?
Taking the time to hear Him is one of the first failings of young Christians.
Jesus was our example here on earth. He is God and yet he spent time in prayer. God studied the bible for years as a young man. He memorized great chunks of scripture. And he lived in perfect harmony with God, the Holy Spirit and God, the Father.
John 5:19-20 The Son can’t do anything by himself; he only does what he sees the Father doing, whatever the Father does the Son does.
When we are young Christians, young in our faith, we are seeking God and asking for many things. We ask for our friends and families to know God. And we can ask for help in our jobs and finances; for health and safety. We ask God to teach us. And we talk constantly, not listening to God as He answers us.
Being quiet before the Lord takes planning and persistence.
Jesus went away to the quiet places, lonely places, so He could spend time talking to God and listening to God without interruption. Not many of us have access to quiet hours or places. But without those quiet times, we won’t be able to hear God speak to us.
Joshua 3:9 listen to the words of the Lord your God.
Sitting down to read our bible, read the verses and think on them, this is a hard step. It is a joyous habit. The more we read and meditate, the more we want to read and meditate. As we pray to God, the more we want to pray to Him. And the more we listen to God, and hear Him speak to us and through us, the more we want to listen to God.
Psalm 85:8 I will listen to what God the Lord says, he promises peace to his people, his faithful servants.
With persistence and courage, we find a time and place to listen to God. We can pray to Him and read the words He has written for us.
Identifying the voice of God is an important first step.
Without the quiet, daily praying to God, identifying the voice of God is difficult. It takes consistent prayer and reading of the word to hear God. And it takes moments of intentional listening to hear Him speaking.
He does speak to us and he has things to tell us. One thing He will always say to us is He loves us. This is the message He wants us most to hear. God is joyful when we speak to Him and He rejoices when we ask Him to speak to us.
God will not bring up past sin that has been forgiven. He will not point out faults and missteps you are attempting to fix. This is another voice you should not listen to. He is the father of lies.
Hearing God everyday.
For young mothers, that quiet praying and reading God’s word happens while the baby is sleeping. It may be for two minutes, but those minutes will bring peace.
If you have less constant demands on our time, we have to give up sleep or tv time to find our moments with God.
Some will spend time in nature, play praise music and dance to the Lord, or sit quietly and write in a journal. All of these are good.
How will you hear God today?
