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Do you ever feel like saying, “God, I can’t hear you”? I’ve been talking about the barriers we allow to come between us and God so that we can’t hear what he wants to say to us.
If you really want to hear God speak to you, you have to know how God speaks and you must have ears that listen—a heart that really wants to hear. God speaks through his Word primarily, but also through our minds, when they are Spirit-controlled. God also speaks to us through other people.
We are admonished in Scripture to seek godly counsel, and there are times when we really need to hear someone else’s perspective, perhaps an older person, or a person who has walked with God for many years. Many years ago I became aware that a woman in my church had a wrong attitude toward some people and treated them unkindly. So, I decided it was my job to set her straight, and I told my good friend that I fully intended to confront her and get this situation fixed, if you know what I mean.
But thankfully, my friend stopped me. She said, “Mary, don’t do that. Just role model for her how a Christian woman should behave.” She told me how God had used a woman in her life when she was a new Christian to change some of her bad habits, but it came simply by watching her live a godly life. I listened to my good friend; God used her to speak to me and keep me from doing and saying something that would probably have done much harm. It’s amazing, but now, without any help from me, God is transforming that woman I was concerned about into a much more compassionate person who is more and more like Jesus.
Jesus said, “My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me. I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one can snatch them out of my hand” (John 10:27-28).
Do you ever consciously listen to the voice of Jesus? I hope you will become intentional about hearing God speak to you, because I’m absolutely certain he wants to speak to you—words of encouragement, words of peace, words of correction and conviction, but all words that are filled with his great love for you. So, ask God for ears to hear, and ask him to give you the strength and power to remove the barriers that you’ve allowed to come between you and God.
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