One of the things I have been seeking to develop in my life is having eyes to see, ears to hear, and a heart to understand. If we have a desire to increasingly see, hear and understand ourselves, others and God more, then we will continually grow to be who God created us to be.
There are so many voices, opinions and a continual barrage of visual stimuli in life that it can sometimes be hard to focus. But above all the noise and activity I want to hear what God is saying and see what He is revealing.
Ken Gire said “Everywhere we look, there are pictures that are not really pictures but windows. God can be seen and heard through these windows.”
Many times we can quite simply miss what God is saying and revealing to us because we are too preoccupied, or never even considered that God would speak to us in the common everyday events of our life. We don’t stop to ask in the midst of our experiences what God may be saying.
Jesus said “He is the good shepherd”, and He says that His sheep hear his voice. (John 10:9-10) But we need to firstly start to believe what Jesus said, That we have ears to hear, and a heart to receive.
The bible teaches us that one of the way God often speaks to us in through our experiences, that is, through the events and circumstances of our lives.
Sometimes we mess up, and God tries to get our attention. We keep ignoring him and our circumstances stay the same or worsen. In the Old Testament if the people fell into disobedience, or neglect of God and His ways, they stepped outside of the blessing and their circumstances let them know they needed to stop and seek God.
Haggai, Malachi, and Joel all teach us that God may speak to us through unpleasant circumstances. We can often never stop to ask God about these challenges. Assuming that negative events are just simply a part of life. Some of us grit our teeth and face our trials with a stubborn resolve and just keep going. But as a result we may never learn what God wants to teach us in these hard times. We can sadly then keep going around and around the same “mountain”, never learning from our experiences and bringing necessary change or action where needed.
Other times we can just presume it is the devil that has brought every negative circumstance, and thus fail to hear God trying to lead us to either repentance, or change.
We can even prolong trials because we fail to hear what God is saying to us in the midst of it, and stubbornly believe it’s all the “devils doing”. God promises He will deliver us and lead us through every trial and circumstance, but we must stop and listen to what He is saying in the midst of it all. God will always speak if we will have ears to listen and a heart to receive.
Sometimes God may speak to us in everyday circumstances or events. When we find our attention being drawn to a specific circumstance or event, we should become alert to the possibility that God may be speaking to us through it. Often while I’m busy doing everyday tasks, like cooking, cleaning, teaching the kids, on my run or speaking to others, God will suddenly draw my attention to something in front of me, or what someone has said, and I will get a fresh revelation, and hear God speaking to me through it.
Jesus constantly pulled spiritual truth’s from everyday life. Not only did these stories make Jesus’ preaching more memorable, they also connected in a much more meaningful and profound way. Think about the parable of the Prodigal Son. Jesus could have proclaimed, “God loves you so much that He will welcome you back to Him no matter how far you have wandered away.” That is definitely true. However, Jesus instead chooses to tell the story of a boy who disowned his family, partied away his inheritance, came home to beg for mercy, but was surprisingly welcomed with open arms by his father who waited daily for his return. Which is more powerful. God still uses examples from everyday life to teach spiritual truth, and speak to us if we are willing to listen. (Luke 15:11-32)
Today practice being an observer of God speaking in the common everyday events of your life, and ask and seek to hear from Him in whatever experience you may find yourself in.
We can all hear God, but we do have to be looking and listening for His voice. Listen up today!
Prayer: Lord thank you that I can hear your voice today. Help me to learn to “hear” you in the everyday experiences and events of my life. May I have eyes to see, and ears to hear. In Jesus Name Amen.
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