Sensitivity to God's Voice
March 30, 2009
Matthew 18:3 ". . . unless you change, and become like little children. . ."
Adults are so sophisticated; at least that's what we think. We are far too intelligent and far too enlightened to seek the Lord like a little child. But that is what God requires. He does not want us to be like a child in regard to our maturity, but He wants us to be like a child in the simplicity of our faith: uncomplicated by a jaded world of confusion and question. A child does not doubt and does not question God. A child takes everything for what it is, at face value. This is true in faith and this is true in hearing God's voice. A child is far more likely to believe in the voice of God, and therefore can be more sensitive to listening to Him. My four-year-old daughter is a great example of this. Recently, she had a conversation with her mother. It went something like this:
"Mama, sometimes when I talk to Jesus at night, He sounds soft because He is so far away. But then He says, 'Here I am; I'm not far away; I'm right here with you and I can hear you.'"
"And what do you say to Jesus, sweetheart?"
"I tell Him that I want Him to live in my heart and someday live in Heaven with Him. And He says, 'I do live in your heart and you will live with me in Heaven someday.' What does Jesus say to you, Mama?"
"Well, it's hard for Mama to hear Him sometimes, Honey."
"Mama, it's easy to hear His voice, you just sit back and listen."
Though this conversation might seem simple, it is a testament to my four-year-old's sensitivity to the voice of God. And it is exactly the kind of conversation God desires. First and foremost, she gives Him the opportunity to speak into her life, as it is a traditional conversational volley. She does not doubt that the voice is God's and she does not doubt the truth of what He has to say.
Far too often, we don't want to develop a sensitivity to hear God's voice. We won't admit this, but it is true by our actions. We limit God's ability to speak into our lives by only listening to Him when it is welcome and convenient to us. We block off a few minutes a week when we talk to Him, but we seldom give Him opportunity to speak, and we certainly don't enter into a conversational volley. We may never allow Him to speak, because we are afraid of what He might say to us. We are afraid He might communicate His disappointment in us or His frustration with our bad habits. We are afraid He might ask us to do something that may make us uncomfortable or we are afraid that He might tell us "No."
Despite our difficulty in developing a sensitivity to hear His voice, He does desire to commune with us on a simple child-like level, free of doubt and confusion. God wants to have a conversation with you and He wants to talk to you more often than you think. Regardless of your pre-conceived ideas of what He might say, you might actually be surprised. God may not tell you what you want to hear, but He will tell you what you NEED to hear.
1. How audible is the voice of God to you?
2. Do you give Him the opportunity to speak more than you?
3. What are you afraid He might say?
Add. Scriptures for Study: Matt 18:4, Mark 10:15, Luke 18:17, Phil 2:15
Adults are so sophisticated; at least that's what we think. We are far too intelligent and far too enlightened to seek the Lord like a little child. But that is what God requires. He does not want us to be like a child in regard to our maturity, but He wants us to be like a child in the simplicity of our faith: uncomplicated by a jaded world of confusion and question. A child does not doubt and does not question God. A child takes everything for what it is, at face value. This is true in faith and this is true in hearing God's voice. A child is far more likely to believe in the voice of God, and therefore can be more sensitive to listening to Him. My four-year-old daughter is a great example of this. Recently, she had a conversation with her mother. It went something like this:
"Mama, sometimes when I talk to Jesus at night, He sounds soft because He is so far away. But then He says, 'Here I am; I'm not far away; I'm right here with you and I can hear you.'"
"And what do you say to Jesus, sweetheart?"
"I tell Him that I want Him to live in my heart and someday live in Heaven with Him. And He says, 'I do live in your heart and you will live with me in Heaven someday.' What does Jesus say to you, Mama?"
"Well, it's hard for Mama to hear Him sometimes, Honey."
"Mama, it's easy to hear His voice, you just sit back and listen."
Though this conversation might seem simple, it is a testament to my four-year-old's sensitivity to the voice of God. And it is exactly the kind of conversation God desires. First and foremost, she gives Him the opportunity to speak into her life, as it is a traditional conversational volley. She does not doubt that the voice is God's and she does not doubt the truth of what He has to say.
Far too often, we don't want to develop a sensitivity to hear God's voice. We won't admit this, but it is true by our actions. We limit God's ability to speak into our lives by only listening to Him when it is welcome and convenient to us. We block off a few minutes a week when we talk to Him, but we seldom give Him opportunity to speak, and we certainly don't enter into a conversational volley. We may never allow Him to speak, because we are afraid of what He might say to us. We are afraid He might communicate His disappointment in us or His frustration with our bad habits. We are afraid He might ask us to do something that may make us uncomfortable or we are afraid that He might tell us "No."
Despite our difficulty in developing a sensitivity to hear His voice, He does desire to commune with us on a simple child-like level, free of doubt and confusion. God wants to have a conversation with you and He wants to talk to you more often than you think. Regardless of your pre-conceived ideas of what He might say, you might actually be surprised. God may not tell you what you want to hear, but He will tell you what you NEED to hear.
1. How audible is the voice of God to you?
2. Do you give Him the opportunity to speak more than you?
3. What are you afraid He might say?
Add. Scriptures for Study: Matt 18:4, Mark 10:15, Luke 18:17, Phil 2:15
No comments:
Post a Comment