Listen- Part 2

Have you ever complained that God wasn’t speaking to you? In times that everyone around you seems to be receiving divine callings and words from the Lord, have you ever felt like God was just giving you the cold shoulder? I know I have experienced this before, and while God does sometimes use silence as a tool to speak, more often than not I have found that my own stubbornness was the thing hindering me from hearing God’s voice.

This Sunday, we learned that the first step to hearing from God is simply wanting to hear from Him. While most of us would testify that we want to hear from God, I can’t help but wonder how many of us can truly say that with conviction. The reality is, while we claim we want to hear God’s voice, there are a lesser few that would actually agree that they want to hear God’s voice when He is speaking something challenging or contrary to their personal beliefs. We like our ideas and actions to be justified, and the vulnerability that takes place when we allow God to truly speak to us has the potential to deter us from opening our ears. After all, it’s risky. If we hear God and He says something we don’t like, are we just going to ignore Him?  Certainly, not hearing is better than not obeying. Likewise, we often opt for ignorance towards God’s voice as opposed to direct disobedience.

While having “selective hearing” and only listening for God’s voice when it correlates with our own ideas can become comfortable, it does not satisfy our needs. It may gratify our immediate desires, but in the end we miss out on the things God would have had in store if we would’ve just stepped out in faith.  Likewise, to truly reap the benefit of hearing God’s voice, we must submit our control to His. When we allow ourselves to hear all that God is speaking to us, as opposed to what we want to hear, we open the door to a much greater plan; God’s plan.

If you are struggling to hear God’s voice, I challenge you to assess your hearing. Are you the roadblock standing in the way of all that God has for you? If so, I encourage you to step out in boldness and allow God to speak to you, even if that means doing something uncomfortable. While we cannot see what lies ahead, when we follow God, He will take care of us and direct our paths (Proverbs 3:5-6).

Written by: Tamara Sturdivant