God will speak to you – if you listen

Wed, 3 Apr 2024

‘I can do nothing on My own. …I do not seek My own will but the will of Him who sent me.’ John 5:30

Jesus did only those things placed in His mind by His Father. And He wants you to learn to live that way too. You ask, ‘Is such a life possible?’ Yes, it’s not only possible, it’s essential to fulfilling God’s will for your life. The Bible says that Mary took time to listen to Jesus, but her sister Martha didn’t because she was too busy ‘serving’ (see Luke 10:40). You can get so busy serving the Lord that you lose your sensitivity to His voice and end up preoccupied with secondary things.

You learn to hear from God by making time to hear from Him! Fifteen times in the New Testament, Jesus said, ‘He who has ears to hear, let him hear.’ (Matthew 11:15 ESV) When you became a new creation in Christ, you received new spiritual ears, but you must learn how to use them. Indeed, that must become one of the highest priorities in your life. A newborn child has the ability to hear but doesn’t understand what he or she is hearing; understanding takes time, it takes learning, it takes attention, it takes intimacy with his or her parents.

When Jesus met the two disciples on the road to Emmaus following His resurrection, they didn’t recognise Him. But He loved them, so ‘Then He opened their minds so they could understand the scriptures.’ (Luke 24:45 NIV). As you look back over your life, you recognise times when God walked and talked with you but you didn’t understand what He was saying. No problem! God is patient, and He will work with you and develop you.