“He replied, ‘Blessed rather are those who hear the word of God and obey it.’” Luke 11:28
I had an interesting experience this Sunday at church. Just before the sermon, they repeated a plea for funds to update the sound system. I believe the words were that “it’s being held together with duct tape and gum.” Of course, I chuckled along with the rest until the sermon began. We all stopped chuckling, because the sounds system stopped working. It was completely dead. We could see lips moving but hear no sound. The speaker, apparently unaware of the problem, continued talking. Those who were close appeared to be appreciating what was said. They smiled at the appropriate places, a nod here or there, others taking notes on what was said. But the rest of us were left wondering what we were missing.
Do you ever feel that way about God? You know He’s speaking. You see others responding to what He’s saying. Maybe they’re even telling you about what they heard from God. They smile and nod in response to Him and seem to never miss anything He says. But you don’t hear a word. You strain to hear from Him, you ask Him over and over for a word, for direction and guidance, for consolation, even for a miracle. But all you seem to receive in return is silence. May I suggest that the problem isn’t your hearing, or God’s “sound system.” The truth is that we all hear from God. We have His word in the Bible and that’s always where we need to begin. I’m not suggesting the Bible has a verse that will tell you which house to buy, or which is the best investment. But is God telling you something else that you’re choosing to ignore? A woman once asked how she could hear from God. I knew she meant that she wanted Him to tell her what job to take. I also knew she was aware of an area in her life where she was choosing to live in sin. So I just pointed to the Bible. She didn’t like the answer, but the truth is that God will tell us the next step when we choose to obey the step He’s already given.
Maybe the problem isn’t our disobedience. Many times, God seems to not be answering because it’s not the right time. The answer is coming. We just need to wait. Other times He’s giving the answer, except it’s just a partial answer. We want to see the whole plan mapped out for us when God is only telling us the next step. It may seem like a very tiny step, but when we take that step, He’ll tell us the next one. It may be baby steps but hang on! Before you know it, He’ll have you running! If it seems like God’s sound system needs replacing because you seemingly can’t hear Him, ask yourself if you’re asking the right question. Are you really not hearing from God, or are you just not hearing what you want to hear in the way you want to hear it?