This week was a ruckus of emotions as I had to deal with an unexpected instruction that set me on a whirlwind of thoughts. Now, before you panic it was not a life-or-death situation but simply a decision that I had to make (still do), a weighty one for me and one that many would not understand, myself included. Yet, one that must be made in obedience to the LORD. This brings me to today’s topic; how can you be sure God has spoken to you? Is it through an audible voice? Is it through His word? Is it through people? Is it based on how you feel or what you sense? Is it through a dream? I believe all these are potent ways God uses to speak to us. Of course, no one can put God in a box, and there exists many other ways He chooses to reveal Himself to His people. The Bible contains many other ways including signs and wonders. My goal today is to lay out what I believe are pre-requisites to hearing from God which will help us recognize God’s words or His ways in our daily lives.
As I have been reading in the book of Proverbs, wisdom is preferable than gold and rubies (Proverbs 3:14-15) therefore we, Christians should seek after her. One of those wisdom nuggets jumped out this morning as I read the following verse: “It is the glory of God to conceal a matter; to search out a matter is the glory of kings” (Proverbs 25:2). This verse brought to me the point that not everything is readily available, you have to do a bit of “digging” or “work” to get it. Just as Jesus said “Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives; he who seeks finds; and to him who knocks, the door will be opened.” (Matthew 7:7-8). There is a partnership required from the LORD when it comes to hearing from Him. First, the things of God are not always simple and logical or even plain for the world. For example, Jesus spoke a lot in parables. While they were spoken in plain language, their meaning was not always received by all but some. Those who would go ask further the meaning would receive the understanding like the disciples in the Parable of the Sower (Matthew 13). Indeed, even the very Gospel we Christians believe as the power of God to save sinners is foolishness to this dying world. It simply does not make sense to them. Second, the things of God require total commitment that is why in another Parable Jesus equated the kingdom of God with that of a man who finds a treasure hidden in a field and joyfully sells everything he owns to purchase that field (Matthew 13:44). We see that the commitment to the kingdom of God for the man was total, to the point of selling all that he owned and that with joy! I believe without any commitment you cannot truly receive from God. It is this commitment that determines your thirst to know which inevitably translates to you seeking, asking, and knocking. This is because the truth of the kingdom, the ways of God, the secrets He has for His children are not meant for everyone but for them alone. As the Bible tells us, there are certain things that are only for the righteous, like wisdom (Proverbs 2:7). It would then be incongruent to have the wicked full of wisdom, only God knows what the result of such a tragedy could be! Third, the things of God require our humility. In this quest, we quickly learn that God is the Master, and we are not. We learn that we are to submit to Him and align with His design. He has set things to be a certain way and as the clay in the hands of the potter, we are merely obeying and following His lead. All these are ingredients that are necessary to ensure we have a good partnership with the LORD. How does the above translate to hearing from God? I believe these are pre-requites for hearing from God well.
In order to hear from God, our surest way is in the Scriptures where God speaks daily to us, laying down His plan in the grand scheme for humanity. Through the stories of men and women of old, we see what He has done in the past, how He spoke to them and what was expected of them to receive whatever they asked. We also see the nature of God, His character which allows us to be confident in who He is when we are faced with decisions. This is also reinforced as we surrender to Him in prayer. Therefore, when we believe the LORD is pushing us in a certain direction, often times, it is not a direction we would have chosen for ourselves, it is not always comfortable, it can be one that does not make sense, and it is one we naturally resist. I think of Moses, resisting speaking to Pharoah or Jonah resisting to speak with the Ninevites. I am sure there are many other examples of that tension that arises when the LORD calls or instructs. Beyond the tension, there must be counselors involved. Proverbs says “where there is no guidance, a people falls, but in an abundance of counselors there is safety” (Proverbs 11:14). The counselors must be able to guide you and point out to you whether or not you are going in the right direction. Obviously, they must be people who fear the LORD, are of good repute and are trustworthy. As long as the counsel does not go against the word of God, you have the freedom to act. Having said all that, I believe your relationship with God should be one that is strong enough to help you know that it is the LORD leading you and not your emotions. Hence, it is crucial for us to cultivate our relationship with the Father. We ought to be constantly surrendering to Him, seeking, knocking and asking to know what He has in store for us.
My prayer for you is that as you grow in your relationship with the LORD, you pay attention to the ways He speaks to you, and when He tells you what to do, I pray you do it without asking questions irrespective of how it might be perceived. And if it turns out, you heard God wrong, there is grace to move on. Mercy is available. All He requires of us is that we get back up. Amen!
