The Ready Listener

Excerpt from He Who Has Ears to Hear by Joy Dawson Pray Magazine

"Have you ever said, "If only I could hear God's voice, I would do whatever He told me?"

Many years ago, that's exactly what I said. Apparently that statement got God's attention, because as soon as I started to get still enough and quiet enough to listen, He started to speak to me specifically, personally, and conversationally in a whole new dimension. My relationship with God became exciting and infinitely more meaningful. I was tuned in and turned on to God, the Creator and Sustainer of the universe. I took off on the adventure of a lifetime—hearing and obeying God's voice. I was forever ruined for the ordinary.

While hearing God should be the experience of every believer, there are conditions God requires in order for this intimate relationship with Him to work.

Humility

One of our greatest universal needs is to experience and walk in humility at increasingly deeper levels. Period. When it comes to experiencing divine guidance, the Bible makes it clear that we will not make any progress without humility. "He guides the humble in what is right and teaches them his way" (Ps. 25:9). Pride feels no need to inquire of God and take time to seek His face. When we see this from God's perspective, it is both proud and foolish to live independently of Him by continuously making our own decisions and hoping or presuming they are in His will. The Bible says that "God looks down from heaven upon the sons of men, to see if there are any that are wise, that seek after God" (Ps. 53:2, RSV).

After David made the mistake and experienced the subsequent horrible implications of not seeking God for direction, he cried out to God, "Keep back Your servant also from presumptuous sins; let them not have dominion over me. Then I shall be blameless, and I shall be innocent of great transgression" (Ps. 19:13, NKJV).

Only the Holy Spirit can reveal to us that presumption in God's sight is "great transgression," based in pride. We have a further insight into God's perspective on this subject from Zeph. 1:6, which speaks judgment against "Those who have turned back from following the LORD, and have not sought the LORD, nor inquired of Him" (NKJV).

You may be thinking, Well, I seek God on all the major issues, but I don't bother Him with the little decisions. Oh really? It was just as important to Jesus, who modeled humility for us, to seek God the Father's face related to matters large or small. He said, "I tell you the truth, the Son can do nothing by himself; he can do only what he sees his Father doing, because whatever the Father does the Son also does" (Jn. 5:19). Have you noticed that this level of humility and dependence produced incredible results?"

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