Dear friend,
In our Arise Sister series this season, we are going to be looking at the topic “Hearing God’s Voice.” Before we delve in, let us look at why it is important to hear God’s voice as a believer in Jesus Christ.
Firstly, hearing God’s voice is very important for our survival and success on earth. God created us in His image (Genesis 1:27), He created us to fellowship with Him (Revelations 3:20), to be His children who look up to Him daily (Romans 8:16-17, Psalm 121:1-2). He wants us to make the right decisions and follow the right path daily because we have our arch enemy the devil who is constantly on the lookout to destroy us. We can only remain victorious and stay safe form the evil arrows of the devil when we hear God.
Secondly, we need to hear God’s voice so that we can always be joyful and rejoicing regardless of the circumstances in which we find ourselves at any given moment in life (Psalm 16:11, Philippians 4:4). Life is a journey of ups and downs, good times and bad times, warm seasons and cold seasons, periods of celebrating and periods of grieving etc (Ecclesiastes 3:1-8). This will remain as long as the current earth exists because our enemy the devil was thrusted into it, until the day Jesus returns to judge and condemn him for good (1 Peter 5:8, Revelations 20:10). Therefore, it is important for us to hear God’s voice because hearing Him encourages us, His voice gives us understanding, His voice directs us and gives us peace, His voice directs us in finding meaning and purpose to life etc.
The next question that will pop up from the above introduction is: “how then can we hear God?”
The first response to this question is LOVE. Yes, the foundation and the starting point of hearing God’s voice is love. Love for God is that force that pushes us to go in search of Him through bible study, prayer, worship, listening to sermons and fellowshipping with God’s people. Our love for God produces a hunger and thirst in us for Him which makes us to yearn for Him daily (Psalm 42:1, Psalm 63:1, Isaiah 26:9). This love in turn provokes the presence and communion of God which is accompanied with His voice. God will never ignore or remain silent on those who love Him with a perfect surrendered love that yearns to know Him and to do His will (Jeremiah 29:12-13, Psalm 91:14-15, Mathew 5:6). King David is renounced in the Bible for his deep love for God, this love made God name him “a man after my heart” (Acts 13:22). David desired God’s love, he desired God’s presence and fellowship above every other thing, he was deeply interested in knowing more about God daily (Psalm 27:4). Another example of a surrendered love for God was Mary the mother of Jesus. Her love for God pushed her into a place of fellowship with God where she could hear Him and obey His will, even the most difficult instructions He gave her (Luke 1:28-30 & 38).
There are many more biblical examples of how our love for God causes us to hear His voice (which leads us into exploits for His glory). We have examples of the love of God and hearing His voice even amongst contemporary believers. The bottom-line of this kind of love that provokes the voice of God is a surrendered heart, one that seeks God not for self but for His will, for His glory, for His exaltation. Is your love for God that selfless? Does your love for Him make you crave His presence like medicine daily (Psalm 42:1-2, Psalm 63:1)? Then Hearing His voice daily is an assurance because He has promised that when we seek Him with all our hearts then we shall find Him (Jeremiah 29:12-13). The benefits of hearing God’s voice are innumerable and that should be the desire of every true believer of God. Let us therefore come to Him with a surrendered and selfless love and hear Him direct us into the purposes and destinies for which we were created.