God, Is That You?

What does it look like to hear the voice of God? As believers, we know that we should. However, I think many of us struggle with doubt and often wonder…“God, is that really you? Could you speak up a little bit louder?”  I️ mean, seriously, is it truly possible for us to hear directly from God?

I️ am a girl who grew up going to church. Reading my Bible. And saying my goodnight prayers. For the longest time, that’s what I️ thought it meant to be a Christ-follower. I️  thought if I️ could spout out a few memory verses and show up consistently at Bible study and be good enough to be considered a “good girl” then, well…that’s all there was. That was that.

However, as I’ve grown in my faith, I️ now realize that there is more. Much more. We can have a deep, intimate personal relationship with God. He is alive and active. He does still speak to us today. But that being said, I️ know that discerning the voice of God can often be a mystery.

A Wrong Assumption

For beginners, let’s debunk one of our biggest wrong assumptions, which is “If I️ hear God’s voice and obey, my life will be easy.”

We tend to read our Bibles and gravitate to the mushy-gushy verses that spark our heart-strings. God is love. Surely goodness and mercy will follow me all the days of my life. All things work together for good. We falsely assume that because God is love, our lives will be all rosy. Moreover, we take Scripture out of context. Besides, we believe that God will give us a happy life. If I’m a good girl and do the right things, God will bless me with comfort and wealth.

When things start to derail in our lives, we assume that somehow we’ve gotten off track. We wonder why we feel distant from God, and try to pinpoint what needs to be fixed. Maybe I️ need to read my Bible more…or get more involved in my church. If I️ clean up this area of my life, then I️ will receive God’s blessing. We try to reconcile why life has taken a sour turn, and question what we’ve done to deserve it. Feelings of abandonment and rejection flood in when instead, God’s voice can lead us to a place of sanctification.

A Right Assumption

Sanctification is a churchy word that means God is making us holy. In other words, God can use your surrounding circumstances or people to expose the areas of your life that need some refining. I️ like to think of it like a pot of boiling water. God sometimes allows us to be placed in a boiling hot situation so that our sin bubbles come to the surface and we can see the sin that needs confessing in our lives.

Following God isn’t always the easy route. Nor is it always comfortable. As believers, God will do whatever it takes to make us look more like Him. He is more concerned about making us holy than happy. Take a deeper dive into Psalm 23, noticing my annotations:

Psalm 23

To combat the lies that we constantly hear in our heads, we have to speak God’s truth to ourselves. God’s ways are better than our ways. God is always faithful. He is our Shepherd and we need to stay close to hear His voice and follow His lead. But the truth is, sheep DO live in dangerous territory. God will do whatever it takes to make us holy. His voice can lead us through the dark valley of the shadow of death because ultimately, He wants us to be sanctified and point others to Him. Simply put, this life is not about us…it’s all about Him. This life will not be easy and to survive, we need to stick close to our Shepherd.

Listen to God’s voice.

Stick close to what He says.

Dear friends, I️ am praying for you today. I️ know it is tough to discern the voice of God. I️  know that we tend to doubt. Continue to dive into God’s Word and pursue Him with all of your heart!