You long to hear God’s voice—his personalized instructions and encouragement for your life. That’s a normal, natural impulse. Therefore, it’s a normal, natural reaction when you get frustrated at his silence. He wants a relationship, after all; at least, that’s what we’ve been told. So why is it hard to hear him at times? Why does his voice seem so obscure?
One reason is that when we’re listening to his voice, we can be awfully focused on getting the message right. We want the facts. We’re looking for clarity about some issue, direction on some choice. But while we’re focused on information, God is focused on relationship. He doesn’t operate like a drive-thru attendant, doling out whatever we’ve ordered. He wants us to come sit in the living room, share our hearts, and listen for his. He doesn’t just want to give us information; he wants to give us himself.
Yes, the information will come. But only if you spend less time in search of his words and more in search of his heart. He will speak in the context of intimacy, and you’ll have to cultivate it in order to hear him consistently. That’s time-consuming—and exceedingly worthwhile. He speaks to hearts far more readily than he speaks to ears. Open your heart—and ears—to his nature, and his voice will come with it.
