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| The Power of Prayer series |
If you want to hear God more, let Him lead the conversation.
Why Can’t I Hear Him?
We all want to hear God’s voice. When I felt led to start this website, I wanted to be sure it’s what God wanted. So, I set aside time to take a retreat and pray for God’s direction. On the first day, I sat down and wrote out my questions: “Should I start a website?”, “Do I need to go to seminary first?”, “What should I write about?”, etc. I got a hot cup of tea, sat down outside with my Bible next to me and asked my first question… no answer… my second question… no answer. No matter which question I asked, all I got was a chorus of crickets. If I’m honest, I got a little impatient, “I’m just trying to do what You want. Why are You making that so hard?”
Eventually, I gave up and started wondering why I couldn’t hear Him. In Jerimiah 29:13, He promised that I would find Him when I seek Him, but the verse goes on to add a condition to this promise – “You will seek me and find me, when you seek me with all your heart”. In reading that condition, I was quick to say, “I am seeking You with all my heart. I want to hear Your answer more than anything.” But if that was true, then why couldn’t I find Him? Then I realized, I was seeking His direction with all my heart, but that’s not the same as seeking Him with all my heart. It’s almost like I was talking to my employer (I’m here for information on what I’m supposed to do) rather than talking to my friend (I want to spend time with you, share what I’m thinking and hear what’s on your heart). My conversation was transactional rather than relational. And so, it hit me, “My mind is here, but my heart really isn’t”.
All Our Heart
Do we hold back our hearts sometimes without realizing it? Why? Maybe subconsciously it makes us a little anxious to hear what’s on His mind. After all, He knows where we’ve fallen short. What if He wants to talk about that? Maybe we’re ashamed and think He’s disappointed in us. Maybe we’re worried He’s going to require us to change and we’re not sure if we can. These fears are common to us all. Like Adam and Eve in the garden, sin causes us to hide from Him. However, God knows this. His plan for redemption was designed to ease these fears in us. Hebrews 4 says, “We do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin. Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in the time of need.” Simply put, He can relate! He knows how hard it is to live life without sin. He’s ready to offer mercy when we’re ashamed. He’s happy to offer grace when we need help to change. With this confidence then, we don’t have to fear; we don’t have to hide.
Allowing Him to Lead
My own story looks quite like this. Once I realized that I needed to open my heart to God, I winced a little and simply asked, “God what would you like to talk about?” Suddenly, the silence broke and I could feel His leading in my heart. It was like He had been waiting for so long to talk to me, and He had so much to say. He reassured me of His love and slowly revealed how I had believed things about myself, about Him, and about our relationship that simply weren’t true. To my surprise, He wasn’t interested in going over my mistakes but in reconciling our relationship. But, He didn’t stop there. He still went on to answer my questions. In fact, many of the things that He showed me first prepared my heart for those answers. He gave me the faith to rely on His ability for my success.
God has invited you to come to Him with confidence. But, if you sense that He’s changing the topic, don’t resist. He has something to say to you. His voice has the power to change you, the power to bring you closer to Him. If you want to hear Him more, open your heart and let Him lead the conversation.
Next Week
Having seen how hearing God’s voice has the power to change us, next week we will explore how God has given access to His power in our prayers to change the world around us. Be sure to subscribe to our emails or follow us on social media so you don’t miss out!
This post spoke to me a lot and I have a feeling these same struggles are common to every one of us who name His Name as our Savior, and as our Lord!! You encouraged me to look at these same frustrations I have been experiencing even lately in a much different light. These honest words of exhortation have an awakening effect to know Him more, to know His way in our relationship and communications much better—and that is very good, and it is,as I said before, really encouraging!
We are so happy to here that this was encouraging and awakened you to know Him more! That is our heart for our own lives and our readers!
Thank you for this post. I remember as a child, I would say my prayers the same very night and just go to bed after. One night, I felt tired of the same words over and over, so I just sighed and said something like, “So how’re you today, God?”. The feeling of joy that swept through me is indescribable. It was like I felt His joy that I finally was opening up an actual conversation and listening to Him. I love seeing that you’ve had a similar experience. God bless.
I love that you’ve had that experience in childhood! It really is such a great reminder for us as we face seasons that are busier than others.
I also loved Rachael’s post ❤️