There are many ways to hear from God. For most of us, the
most obvious way is through conscience. If you feel uneasy about
doing something, it is probably a warning from God that you
should not do it, lest you be in disobedience to Him. If you
can't sleep at night because you have done something wrong, then
it is very likely that your conscience is bothering you, and that
you should make amends for whatever it is that you have done
wrong.
It is important to obey conscience, because if a person
persists long enough in resisting the dictates of conscience, it
becomes dull, or seared, and is no longer of much use to us in
hearing from God.
Conscience is not always infallible as a means of hearing
from God. Because we are fallen, there will be times when,
although we think that conscience is dictating something to us,
we are actually in danger of doing that which is contrary to the
will of God if we act accordingly. This is probably rare for
most Christians, but it can happen. The Word of God can be very
helpful in guarding against problems of this kind. If what we
are contemplating is clearly against the written Word of God,
then we know that we must obey His word, regardless of what we
think conscience may be telling us.
I believe that conscience is really an operation of the Holy
Spirit, and that most Christians, when they say that the Holy
Spirit directed them to do something, are really saying that they
are being guided by conscience. But if this is true, then it's
dangerous to say that we are being led by the Holy Spirit if
there are times when the conscience might be fallible. If we say
that we are being led by the Holy Spirit, but bad fruit results,
then we have led others to believe that God is responsible, while
it is really only ourselves who are to blame.
So how do we know whether or not God has actually spoken to
us? We depend upon the Scriptures to make this determination,
and we also depend upon our brothers and sisters in Christ, as we
seek to understand the proper meaning of the Scriptures as they
apply to our lives.
One must be cautious, however. There are many people who
claim to be Christians, but who do not manifest the fruit of the
Spirit in their everyday lives. Such people can either still be
immature in their walk of faith, or backslidden, or "false
brethren" who only claim to be Christians, but, in their heart of
hearts, are disbelievers. One should be wary of these folks in
any attempt to hear from God.
Even among those who do manifest the fruits of the Spirit,
there is a wide variety of interpretations of the Scriptures. It
is important to gain as wide an exposure to the different ways of
viewing the faith as possible in order to come to an educated
judgment as to how to interpret the Bible.
There is a lot of interplay among these factors. Conscience
can be an important guide in determining the meaning of the word
of God, and in finding people who will be trustworthy in helping
us to hear from God through the Scriptures. Godly people can
help us to interpret the Bible, and to properly evaluate whatever
we believe conscience may be dictating. Scripture enables us to
put conscience to the test, and to determine the soundness of the
counsel of others.
But the one key element that is really necessary in hearing
from God is obedience. If you want to hear from Him, then you
must obey Him. As you continue in obedience, he continues to
throw light upon His word, and upon your life and your need for
further change. He begins to reveal Himself to you, and as He
does so, you begin to see your own shortcomings more clearly, and
He begins to give you the grace to please Him. As He gives you
that grace, and as you take advantage of it for further spiritual
growth, He continues to pour out upon you this revelation of
Himself in greater and greater measure.
The entire process begins with obedience. You must obey Him
as best you know, and if you are sincere in your desire to obey,
He will assist you in this process, clarifying His purpose and
granting you the strength to put your knowledge of His purpose
into action.
Many people are anxious to know how to hear from God when
they are in the midst of adversity. Let us suppose that you have
a terrible problem or a set of difficulties, and you need wisdom
from God as to how to extricate yourself. Situations of this
kind are certainly very common, and God can use such
circumstances to speak to us. If the situation is a result of
sin in our lives, then it teaches us that, in the future, we must
walk in obedience. Thank God that He is merciful, and that, as
we wholeheartedly resolve to conduct ourselves differently, He
very often delivers us, miraculously and sovereignly.
Even if our adversity is not of our own making, it may be
just what we need to learn something about our own shortcomings.
How are we conducting ourselves in the midst of it? Are we
allowing ourselves to complain and to become bitter, or are we
giving praise and thanks to God, even in the midst of problems?
Are we being cruel to our persecutors, or are we returning
kindness to them? Are we going through an ordeal in order to
learn patience? Or perhaps the situation is teaching us
humility.
C. S. Lewis has written that pain is God's megaphone. That
is, if we are having trouble hearing from God, then pain and
suffering are sometimes needed so that we will stop going in our
own direction and begin listening to God.
There are times when it seems that despite everything we do,
deliverance from our difficulties is not forthcoming. There can
be many reasons for this. One possibility is that God will not
allow Himself to be manipulated. If we have the attitude that we
are trying to manipulate God, we aren't likely to obtain
deliverance. Another possible reason for continued adversity is
that we need to learn to have faith in Him despite all
appearances. Or, perhaps He is teaching patience, or
longsuffering.
There are some situations that simply defy all explanations,
but we must always recognize that God is not our tormentor. We
must never blame God for our difficulties, but recognize that He
is our deliverer, and that there will come a time for us as
Christians when we will be delivered from all vestiges of pain,
sorrow, and suffering, forever.
In the interim, the Lord promised that in the world we would
have tribulations, and that those who lived blamelessly in
Christ would be persecuted. He is our comforter, and He will, in
His sovereignty, carry us through all of these tribulations, and
use them for our benefit as a means of purifying us.
In fact, we are told that we should rejoice in the midst of
tribulation, because the trials of life bring about a
purification process in our lives. We must realize that, even in
the midst of suffering, God has everything under control.
If we are to hear from God in the midst of adversity, we
must first come to recognize that, far from forsaking us, God has
complete sovereignty over everything that happens to us, and that
He can and will turn around for good everything that happens.
He is well able to take us through all difficulties. We may
recognize this truth in theory, but there will come a time when
He begins to require that we walk in it. He does this by weaning
us from all of the things that we hold dearest. This becomes the
practical means by which He asks, "do you really depend solely
upon me?" At this point, we must be willing to give up anything
and everything, no matter how precious, for His sake.
If we are not willing to do this, then it will become an
obstruction in our ability to hear from God. Very often, without
even realizing it, we can allow certain things to become more
important to us than God Himself. They may be good things, but
they cannot have a higher priority in our lives than the One who
created all things and who created us and sustains us throughout
all difficulties.
It is for this reason that, for our own good, the Lord
begins to arrange circumstances in such a way as to place in
jeopardy all of those things that we value most highly. If we
are not willing to give them up and trust Him completely, He
sometimes begins a stripping process in our lives, so that the
things that are dearest to us are taken away. Although it can be
painful, He does this because He loves us. This process can take
place gradually or suddenly, but either way, it forces us into
the place where we have no choice but to set our affections
solely upon Him, and to trust only Him for all of our needs.
In order to hear from God, either we must be in this place
of trust, or else we must be willing to allow Him to bring us to
this place, whatever the cost. We must be willing to give up
everything for His sake, however costly. It isn't easy, but
ultimately, it is well worth it, because He rewards us with what
is even more precious than what He has taken away.
Do you remember the story of Abraham and Isaac? Isaac was
Abraham's dearly beloved son, given miraculously to Sarah and
Abraham in fulfillment of a precious promise from God. Yet,
there came a point when Abraham was called upon to be willing to
give him up. This was a tremendous test of faith, for he knew
that he had received a promise from God concerning Isaac and his
descendants. How, therefore, could it possibly be that he must
give him up?
Abraham was obedient, despite all appearances. If Abraham
were to sacrifice Isaac, then, barring a miracle from God, there
could be no fulfillment of God's promises to him. Yet, he knew
that God had everything in control, and that he must be willing
to do whatever God required of him, even if it meant cutting off
the precious promised seed. Abraham knew that God was able even
to raise Isaac from the dead, if necessary, to fulfill His
promises to him.
God honored his obedience. I believe that Abraham was
brought to a point where he really no longer cared whether that
which was most precious to him would endure or perish. He knew
that God requires complete obedience. God created us, and He
therefore has every right to require anything.
You can be sure, though, that, having created us, He also
loves us deeply, and that He wants nothing but the very best for
us. Despite any and all appearances to the contrary, whenever he
requires anything, it is for good reason, and ultimately, we will
flourish as a result of our obedience to whatever He asks. He
desires to free us from that which constricts and restrains us.
If there is anything that becomes too precious too us, it can
actually bring us into a form of bondage. The great physician
knows how to extricate us, and He is in the process of doing that
for all of us in various ways, at this very moment. It is by our
willingness to submit to Him unconditionally that we will be able
to hear Him and respond to Him.
Let us pray. Father, we ask that you help us to be willing
to submit to you, regardless of the cost. Renew our minds, and
grant us the ability to understand our circumstances from your
perspective. Remind us of your intense love for us, so that,
when you ask of us that which is so very difficult to give up, we
will remember that it is for our own good that you require it.
Help us to be able to hear from you and respond to you, not
reluctantly, but with great joy, knowing that you want the very
best for us. These things we pray in the name of our Lord Jesus
Christ. Amen.
Richard M. Riss
Union Bible Church, Old Bridge, N.J., July 12, 1992