Conversations With God
By definition, a conversation is an exchange of sentiments, opinions, or ideas between two people.
Most Christians get it half right! They know how to talk to God but never have learned to listen. How audacious is that? The species with all the questions have been allowed to engage in conversation with someone who has all knowledge. To not listen to His answers is appalling and irresponsible.
There are many reasons for not hearing the voice of God. One of the most obvious is the preconceived idea that God speaks in a booming baritone voice with a thick British accent. Many believe that when He speaks, much like grandpa’s King James Bible, He often says “thou” instead of “you” and keeps himself at a respectable distance from average humans. Others argue that God is speaking to us everywhere and in everything and that a simple cricket’s chirp is God trying to get the point across. If the latter is the case, God has succeeded in keeping me awake with His unique commissioned cricket more than once.
Jesus said, “My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me.” John 10:27 ESV. Jesus makes an emphatic statement that His sheep do hear His voice. Some Christians would express confusion with this considering their experiences don’t line up. But what Jesus said is not wrong; all true believers can and do hear the voice of God.
The confusion comes when we become too busy to stop and listen or fail to recognize what we are hearing as being God’s voice.
Cell phone towers, radio, and television satellites transmit and relay signals twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week. However, we only hear them when our phone, radio, or tv is turned on and tuned in. Most often, the failure to receive is not in transmission but bad or no reception. Much like the transmitters sending signals to our technical gadgets, God constantly speaks to His sheep, but many are not in tune to listen. Andrew Wommack said it best:
“Most Christians are busy pleading with God in prayer to transmit when the problem is with their receivers.”
Maybe the reason we are not listening is that we are not looking. Have you ever noticed that no one has a car like the one you want until you start shopping for yours? Then everyone has one! It’s because you see what you’re in the market for. If you’re in the market for the voice of God, you’ll start hearing it.
There are two critical and yet simple elements to help you fine-tune your ability to hear the voice of God; Listening and learning.
Listening is difficult because of our busyness.
Remember, it’s in stillness, not busyness, that we can hear the voice of God. It’s not uncommon for The Lord to speak to us in a “STILL, small voice” (1 Kings 19:12)
Learning happens by adaptive listening.
Go back and revisit some of the good choices you made in the past. You’ll probably discover God was talking to you then. From that, you can learn and discern how He sounds. Sort of reverse engineer what happened, the sounds you heard, the feelings you felt, and most of all, the peace that you found.
To say I’ve ever heard the audible voice of God would be a stretch. However, in all my dealings with God relative to marriage, occupation, buying homes for my family, and numerous other instances, I know without a doubt the sound of His voice. It’s like the click sound you hear in your mind when you put a problematic piece into a jigsaw puzzle. It’s like the first time you see a Bald Eagle; no one has to say this is what an eagle looks like – you know it! We all can hear and know the voice of God like that.
In your conversations with God, listen and learn from what He is saying -
“Call to me, and I will answer you and will tell you great and hidden things that you have not known.” God (Jeremiah 33:3)