50 Days of Prayer – Day 38
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“Your own ears will hear Him. Right behind you a voice will say, ‘This is the way you should go,’ whether to the right or to the left.” Isaiah 30:21 (NLT)
Nothing is more reassuring to a child than the voice of their mother or father. It’s amazing to watch how they respond to a comforting word spoken softly, yet with confident assurance and love. It’s true in our relationship with God as well. As His children, we long to hear His voice. I love the way The Message puts Proverbs 3:5-6. It says, “Trust God from the bottom of your heart; don’t try to figure out everything on your own. Listen for God’s voice in everything you do, everywhere you go; He’s the One who will keep you on track.”
This passage tells me that for the times I’m prone to complain that God is not speaking, the problem may be more likely that I am not listening. This is the mystery of God’s voice to me.
Do you listen for God’s voice in everything you do, everywhere you go? It’s easy for men, especially, to compartmentalize ourselves, zooming in on whatever is at hand. We tend to separate our spiritual lives from our everyday routines. If that’s the case for you as well, I want to challenge you to make an intentional effort to listen for God’s voice in everything you do, not just in the big decisions, not just on Sunday when you go to church or when you read your bible or pray. Practice listening for God’s voice in everything.
The Bible says that faith comes by hearing the word of God. What is He saying to you? God speaks through His Spirit, the Bible, circumstances and others in ways consistent with His revealed Word that He may reveal Himself, His nature, and His ways to us. The Bible is filled with examples of how He spoke in times past. One of my favorites is found in 1 Kings 19 when He spoke to a discouraged prophet named Elijah. Even prophets get depressed. Elijah had isolated himself in a cave that only reinforced his feelings of loneliness. But God wasn’t through with His servant. Notice how God spoke to him in verses 11-12, “The LORD said, ‘Go out and stand on the mountain in the presence of the LORD, for the LORD is about to pass by.’ Then a great and powerful wind tore the mountains apart and shattered the rocks before the LORD, but the LORD was not in the wind. After the wind there was an earthquake, but the LORD was not in the earthquake. After the earthquake came a fire, but the LORD was not in the fire. And after the fire came a gentle whisper.”
To hear a whisper, you have to be quiet. You have to really listen for it. You have to expect it. It wasn’t in the powerful wind, the earthquake, or the fire that God spoke. Those no doubt got his attention. It was with a gentle whisper. Listen for that whisper in your life in everything you do. Make prayer a dialogue, not just a monologue of your voice. Pause and be still. Wait for Him to speak. Sometimes it’s a simple prompting in your heart or idea. It could be a feeling of holy discontent or a direct answer from reading the Bible.
As you practice the art of listening for the whisper of God, the Bible says, “Your own ears will hear Him. Right behind you a voice will say, ‘This is the way you should go. …” How awesome would that be?