Three quick truths about hearing from God from chapter 4 of Willard’s “Hearing God”:
- He can speak to us. I know, I know…how can God hear and speak to millions of us at the same time? God is not limited by His creation. There IS a spiritual reality that is just as ‘real’ as the physical one we can touch and see.
- He would speak to us. The greatness of God is not to be likened to the greatness of a human figure. Great people do not typically speak with ‘ordinary’ people. Even if they wanted to, there are simply too many of us for them to interact with. On the other hand, God’s greatness is precisely what makes Him able, available and ready to speak to and hear from us!
He does speak to us. Think he doesn’t speak to you? Consider some possible reasons you don’t hear from Him when He speaks. First, perhaps you aren’t listening. Second, perhaps you don’t really want to hear what He is telling you. Third, maybe your life revolves more around you than it does around Him. Think about your kids. Sometimes they simply aren’t listening and sometimes their minds are so made up that you don’t waste your time trying to communicate with them. And sometimes they are so wrapped in their own world they don’t give you the time of day!
Here is a great nugget of wisdom I would agree with: If you believe God has told you to do something, ask Him to confirm it to you several ways: through His Word, through prayer, through circumstances and through other people who may know nothing of the situation. He can speak, would speak and does speak…but we can also be deceived when we rely too heavily on any one of these ways He does so.
Here are some questions to consider:
