Hearing God

This morning, in early church.......really early since we had to set our clocks forward...I gave this brief testimony on hearing God. It was requested in my SS class that I post it on my blog. So.....by popular (or not so popular) demand......

“ Hearing God? A daring idea, some would say—--presumptuous and even dangerous. But what if we are made for it? What if the human system will not function properly without it? There are good reasons to think it will not. The fine texture as well as the grand movements of life show the need. Is it not, in fact, more presumptuous and dangerous to undertake human existence without hearing God?

Among our loneliest moments, no doubt, is the time of decision……..”

That is a quote in the preface from a great book Hearing God: Developing a Conversational Relationship with God written by Dallas Willard.

When asked if I would give a brief testimony about how I hear and follow God’s guidance in my life, it led me on a journey down memory lane. I want to take you there this morning, praying that it will be helpful and give God the glory due Him.

When I was 17 years old, God brought a godly young man into my life because He wanted me to learn how to hear His voice and follow Him, which I thought I already knew all of that. After all, I had already been a Christian for 12 years!!

After a few months of dating and writing letters back and forth,(he was a senior in college and I a senior in high school….no cell phones or texting or email) he suddenly wrote me a “Dear John” letter (didn’t even know my name after all that time). I remember it went something like this.

“Dear Carolyn, After spending some time in prayer and in the Word this past week-end at a conference, God has made it clear to me that I need not to see you any more…………..”

I wondered why God hadn’t told me that…………..if we were both praying to the same God, which I knew we were. How come this came as such a shock to me?? Maybe some of you have asked that question….”Why did she/he hear from God and I didn’t?.....”

And that began my spiritual journey of seeking to hear and know His voice. The first thing that occurred to me was that I was the one doing all of the talking to God and I was not a very good listener, because I didn’t think He was talking to me. I didn’t know how to listen.

Then it became so important to me to take in God’s Word more consistently, more intentionally.

First I began with hearing it, with a pen and paper in hand, loving exegetical, expository teaching of the Word.

That whet my appetite for more, so I started reading the Bible through each year with The Daily Walk.

After many years, I was finding that reading it and hearing it taught to me were not enough, so I began studying Scripture inductively, asking the 5 "w's and H": who, what, when, where, why and how…….PLUS writing in my prayer journals what He was teaching me about Himself.

Since I was trying to get the Word into my heart, memorizing was always a part of my interaction with the LORD, praying many verses I was learning back to Him as requests as well as praise.

And before I really knew it, I found myself meditating on the Word most of my days, working around the house, driving children all over the city, just talking with Him about His Word and what He was showing me, day in and day out.

As the years went by, knowing that He IS with me……….Emmanuel……. I noticed that I was very comfortable with decisions, large and small, because I understood His sovereignty and had confidently gotten to know His character in an intimate way……..as with a trusted friend.

So, you see, I really don’t have anything knew………..it is spiritual breathing ……inhaling His Word………exhaling praise back to Him as He lives His life through me.

With many years in His Word, it was clear to me that He was leading me, guiding me…..through Scripture, prayer, His Spirit and trusted friends who also were in the Word, praying and being led by His Spirit.

Yesterday, in my reading I was in Deut 5 and thought this verse, with the Life Application note, was my conclusion.
“Moses continued speaking to the people of Israel and said, ‘Listen carefully now to all these laws God has given you; learn them and be sure to obey them!’”

“Listening is absorbing and accepting information about God. Learning is understanding its meaning and implications. Obeying is putting into action all we have learned and understood. All three parts are essential to a growing relationship with God.”

And we have been graced with the Holy Spirit Who enables us to do just that!!