The Place We Find Ourselves: Hearing from God

To listen to this episode in its entirety click here. 

 "People are meant to live in an ongoing conversation with God, speaking and being spoken to." -- Dallas Willard

Think about Enoch! God in the garden with Adam and Eve! Moses! These are examples of the normal human life God intended for us. These moments are not meant to be exceptional. They are meant to be normal! Mannnnn, haven't we all thought that those were for exceptional people only? 

But let's look at what God actually did:

1. God created words. God created ears. 

2. God created the idea of a relationship and you talk to a friend and your friend talks back and you grow in intimacy with each other.  

3. We somehow think that the God who created words, ears, and relationships, would speak to us on a regular basis. 

The whole point of the resurrection is UNION!

 "Union with God consists chiefly in a conversational relationship with God, while we are consistently and deeply engaged as his friend and co-laborer in the affairs of the kingdoms of the heavens. God has created us for intimate friendship with himself." -- Dallas Willard

We need conversation! Our memories of our earthly father isn't memories of lectures. We need conversation. We need relationship. We need connection. 

OBSTACLES IN HEARING FROM GOD INCLUDE: 

1. One of the reasons that hearing from God is so fraught for many of us, is it because when we make movement toward listening, it connects us immediately to our longing to hear from our father or to hear from our mother when we were growing up. Have you come to terms with how deeply you longed to hear one or both of your parents to speak into your heart -- good and strong words. If we let ourselves hear our longing to hear God's voice, we will feel the longing we had to hear that connection with our parent. 

2. "The problem is not that Jesus isn't speaking or even that you aren't hearing, it's that you don't believe you are hearing." We don't believe that we are hearing from God. We immediately dismiss the words as our own voice. Are you thinking that if you hear from God you will automatically know it is HIS voice? Hearing from God is something that you learn, over time, by experience. Just like anything else in life. Being uncertain doesn't mean you haven't heard. 

3. Some of us don't feel the freedom to be in his presence. If you didn't develop a secure attachment to your parents, it can be hard for you to feel securely attached to your God.

4. We are not attuned to the gentle stillness of God's voice. In 1 Kings 19, God's voice is heard. It says that God was not in the earthquake or fire but he was in the still, small voice. The translation might just as well read, a gentle whispering. Messages from God are actually supposed to subtle. 

SO WHAT DO YOU DO IF IT IS HARD TO HEAR FROM GOD? 

1. Be curious as to why that is. Give yourself grace. 

2. Take seriously Jesus' words that you are in HIM and his spirit is IN you.

3. Start small. Ask simple questions. And wait and see what wells up in your heart in the next few minutes.

4. Be patient as you learn.

I am a HUGE fan of this podcast. If what I am writing is ministering to you, I encourage you to support THE PLACE WE FIND OURSELVES. He does NOT do advertising. He simply has people support the podcast.