Hearing God's Voice
Our Musers frequently comment, both publicly and privately, that the blog entry for the day was just what they needed. For this, I give God all the praise and glory. He knows our needs and meets them.
Some of you have also asked how I know what to write? The answer is that I've learned to listen for God's voice. This doesn't mean I always recognize it, but over the years, I have gotten much better at it.
Scripture tells us that God's sheep hear His voice and follow Him (John 10:27). I frequently confess this verse since, more than anything, I want to hear God's voice and obey it. The more I speak this verse aloud, the more I believe it (Romans 10:17), and the more I believe it, the more its truth manifests in my life.
Just as an infant learns to recognize his mother's voice, so do we learn to recognize our Heavenly Father's voice - by spending time with Him. When we hear the voice of our Father, we always know what to do and which direction to take.
I once asked the Lord how to recognize His voice. He said, "My voice is the voice of Love."
If you are having trouble discerning God's voice, read His Word throughout the day. Tune in to Him as you would to a radio station. His voice is on a certain frequency, and you need to be quiet and still to hear it.
Hearing God's voice is essential for us who write because of our responsibility to convey the truth. When we write, we also teach, and teachers will be held more accountable when we face our Lord (James 3:1).
For an excellent book on learning how to hear God's voice, I highly recommend Henry and Richard Blackaby's HEARING GOD'S VOICE. Click on the link to purchase your copy.
And that's my "musing that matters" for today. What's yours? :)
Blessings,
MaryAnn
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Copyright 2008 by MaryAnn Diorio, Ph.D. All rights reserved. This blog entry may NOT be reproduced, reprinted, or published in any form whatsoever without the written permission of Dr. MaryAnn Diorio. You may, however, forward it to others, but please do so IN ITS ENTIRETY. Thank you for your cooperation.
Comments
Hi MaryAnn....
It's great to be back in touch. Thanks for your important message. I try to stay connected to the Lord, because then I do hear His voice. But being a Type A personality, I have to watch that the busyness of the world does not tune Him out.
Dear maryann, this is something I am continually striving to learn to do better. I love Experiencing God by Blackaby and put this book on my wish list for later. Thanks for the recommendation and insight.
Thank you again, MaryAnn. Listening for that "still, small voice" is so hard in the modern world. I remember Arthur Blessitt (the man who carried the cross around the world) telling of his experiences in the Darien Gap of Central America, when all his guides had deserted him and he was utterly alone in the jungle. He asked the Lord why He'd brought him there, and the Lord told him that He'd brought him to a place where he could hear Him. Los Angeles was too noisy.
I'm not suggesting we all head for the rain forest, but if we can get alone somewhere, turn off all the distractions (TV, radio, computer, etc.), and just have our Bible with us in the quietness (or relative quietness)... Sometimes when we are surrounded by people, we can't hear any voice other than theirs...
I loved what you said about learning to hear our Heavenly Father's voice the way we learn to hear our mother's voice as an infant. It's a beautiful analogy. Praying that we will all learn not only to hear His voice, but to obey what He tells us!
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Even when that loving voice disciplines us, we need to listen and obey instead of getting angry and ignoring Him.
I confess I do that sometimes. But I'm learning to trust Him ... especially when I don't understand.