Do you ever wonder, when trouble comes, why God seems so quiet? Your health is threatened, your marriage is on the rocks, you’re standing on the precipice of financial ruin, and you cry out to God and you hear nothing, not even crickets. All you hear is utter silence that leaves you feeling abandoned and alone.
Where is God in times like these? Why does He seem to stay silent when you need to hear Him the most? As I’ve studied and thought about this I’ve discovered a couple things which can make it hard for us to hear God’s voice sometimes. Over the next couple days we’ll explore these things together.
The first thing I’ve learned is sometimes it’s not that God isn’t speaking, but that we are not tuned in to His voice. He’s talking, but we can’t hear Him through all the noise, because we’ve not spent enough time listening to Him in the first place.
I have hearing loss, probably from spending too much time working in the broom shop in academy and college. I wear hearing aids, but sometimes I forget to put them on. When this happens I have trouble hearing others’ voices, but Ana’s voice I can still understand. Why? I’ve spent so much time with her I’m tuned into what she has to say.
It’s the same with God. When we come near to God, accepting Jesus as our Savior by faith, we become His children, His cherished possession. We belong to God and, as Jesus promised, “Whoever belongs to God hears what God says.” (John 8;47). As we come near to Him each day, through Bible study and prayer, we become attuned to His voice. Then, even when life gets the loudest, we’ll still be able to hear Him speak.
Are you having trouble hearing God’s voice today? Then it’s time to tune in to Jesus. It’s time “Come near to God and he will come near to you. (James 4:8 NIV). Open your Bible and listen for Him to speak. Invite the Holy Spirit to attune your ears to HIs Voice. If you do this He promises He “will answer you and tell you great and unsearchable things you do not know.” (Jeremiah 33:3)
Tomorrow we’ll look at the story of the boy Samuel in 1 Samuel 3:1-10 and what it can teach us about hearing God’s voice. Until then, God bless and have a wonderful day!.