‘G ‘God, please talk to mi’ – Part I
OD, PLEASE talk to mi!’ Many of us struggle to hear from God, yet all true believers can and do hear His voice. For us to walk in God’s will instead of going through life blindly, oppressed, and confused, it is absolutely critical that we hear and know His voice.
When we hear God’s voice, it provides the maximum opportunity to walk in His will and to fulfil purpose. God is constantly speaking to us, so we need to start listening. This takes time, effort, and focus.
Tom Scarrella and Mark and Patti Virkler identified four keys to hearing God, and today, we are going to look at a modified version that will help us to clearly hear God’s voice. These keys are found in various scriptures throughout the Bible, and in Habakkuk 2:1-3(NIV), we find a pattern that we can use to hear God more clearly.
First, Habakkuk went to a quiet place where he could be alone. He became still while waiting for God to speak. “I will stand at my watch and station myself on the ramparts ... . ” (Habakkuk 2:1, NIV). The first key is:
1. Be still
The average Christian’s lifestyle is so busy, it is not conducive to hearing God’s voice. But it’s in stillness that we can tune our spiritual ear to hear God’s voice. He usually speaks in a still, small voice, but it’s often drowned out by the turmoil of our daily lives. We need to relearn how to be quiet so God can to talk to us. The psalmist said: “I wait quietly before God, for my victory comes from him.” (Psalm 62:1, NLT) After Habakkuk quieted himself, he focused on the Lord: - “I will look to see what he will say to me, and what answer I am to give to this complaint.” (Habakkuk 2:2, NIV) This gives us our second key, which is:
2. Focus on Jesus
If we expect anything from God, we must get it through Jesus. Hebrews says it this way: “Let us keep our eyes fixed on Jesus, on whom our faith depends from
beginning to end.” (Hebrews 12:2, GNT). When attempting to hear from God, we can get distracted and focus on the problem/situation we face. Instead, let’s quiet down, focus on Jesus (, who He is, His power and His love); then look to see what God is saying. “I will look to see what he will say to me, and what answer I am to
give to this complaint.” (Habakkuk 2:2, NIV) Habakkuk expected God to say something, so he was aware of his impressions and thoughts. This leads to the third key.
3. Be aware of our next thoughts
According to the text, God speaks in two ways: Firstly, Habakkuk looked for:
God’s vision. He expected to see something. When God is speaking, He will sometimes give us a mental picture, a quick impression that doesn’t have to stay long. Focusing the eyes of our hearts upon Jesus causes us to become inwardly still, raises our level of faith and expectancy, and makes us fully open to receiving from God. The second way Habakkuk heard the Lord was:
God’s voice within him – the still, small voice of God within us that comes as a set of spontaneous thoughts in our mind. They are so easy to ignore and sometimes seem random and sound just like us. But remember that God, the Holy Spirit, lives in you, and as 1 Corinthians 6 says, “... the person who is joined to the Lord is one spirit with him.” )1 Corinthians 6:17, NLT.
In Habakkuk, we also noticed when God begins to speak and the first thing He says is, “Write my answer plainly on tablets...” Habakkuk 2:2 (NLT). Habakkuk wrote down the flowing thoughts and flowing pictures that were coming to him from God. So the fourth key we see from Habakkuk.
4. Write down the thoughts and pictures – journaling
As we talk to God and He speaks back to us, we must record what we see and hear. He often speaks to us in increments, so let’s journal, or record, all the steps God gives to us. Compare them to biblical principles because He will never say something contrary to the truth of Scripture. Then share it with amateur Christian advisers (Prov 11:14). We are members of a body, and God’s intention has always been for us to grow together. Nothing will increase our faith in our ability to hear from God like having it confirmed by two or three other people. They are there to help protect us from error.
These four keys can assist us with hearing God more clearly. As we incorporate them into our devotional lives, we will become more able to discern God’s voice and commune with Him as we cry, “God, please talk to mi!”