“In learning to hear the voice of God, one thing is certain — if you cannot hear a ‘no,’ you will have a hard time hearing from God at all or believing that what you think you’ve heard is in fact from God.”- John Eldredge
As John Eldredge begins the Winter section of Walking with God, he presents two crucial concepts necessary for hearing the voice of God. John states that hearing God:
- requires surrender, giving all things over into His hands
- not abandoning your desires, but giving them over to God
Romans 4:21 tells us Abraham based his faith on a clear and specific promise of God. John observes that the passage states that “God had the power to do what He had promised.” Thus, John notes, when it comes to our faith, we must be careful that our earnest hopes and desires don’t lead us to claim a promise God hasn’t given.
Furthermore, no matter how hard our adversity hits us, those adversities don’t have to be brutal and lonely. Most importantly, accept the grace of God when it comes!
However, we must remain aware that Satan loves to act as an opportunist. Mr. Eldredge explains:
“He is always looking for open doors, opportunities, a chink in the armor. He’ll seize what might otherwise simply be an event- an argument, an emotion, a loss- and he’ll use it as an entrée for his lies, deceit, and oppression.”
Thus, even in moments of tenderness and sorrow, we can’t drop our guard. While that seems unfair, Satan never plays fair! In that way, we remain free to bring our hearts to God sans Enemy interference.
Today’s question: What Scriptures assist you in learning to hear the voice of God? Please share.
Tomorrow’s blog: “Worship language – or the living God?”
