Listening to God

Someone asked me recently what I thought about hearing God. I have often wondered how we hear God. More specifically, how do we follow God's leading, how do we know, when we're at a fork in the road, which way to go? Especially when we're faced with two equally virtuous and redeeming options, and no discernable direction, what do we do?

Here are some thoughts.

Who we are becoming is more important than what we're doing. I could personally do one of 10,000 different jobs right now. I go to work to provide for my family. I don't feel a specific call or loyalty to my career. But whatever it is, my character can be shaped when I treat my job as if I am doing it for the Lord. It is not an issue of specific career description, but of my attitude and my heart when I do it. So, sometimes when we're at a fork, after seeking wisdom and God's will, and not sensing a pull towards one way or the other, we just must choose and trust God.

So, all that to say, decisions only matter when they possess a moral quality to them. Most decisions we make are arbitrary - they only possess the measure of right or wrong we assign to them. I could eat granola or rice krispies for breakfast. I could work at a linen company or build houses. They are only right or wrong so far as how we carry them out - if our job is building houses, we should do so to the glory of God. But sometimes, like Jonah, we know that an instead of a decision being arbitrary, it has been assigned the weight of "obedience." Where Jonah served the Lord did not matter - until the Lord told him to serve him in Ninevah.

Which brings us back to the question of hearing God's voice. We certainly don't hear him like Moses or Jonah did. Atleast, we don't have the same specific direction, such as "hey Gideon, go attack that army with only 300 men and nothing but jars and torches." But I would maintain that when it comes to knowing what's right, we have no less access to the voice of God. We usually know how to obey, and we know when we're not.

It is interesting to note too, that listening to God doesn't allow us to avoid the potholes and pitfalls of life. Sure, we can avoid a lot of heartache caused by our own sin, selfishness, and foolish mistakes. But even the most wise, sincere child of God experiences setbacks, failures, and discouragement. God's plan is not to provide a pain free existence, but to use our experiences to draw us to him, to help us trust him, to understand our need for him. And it happens the most when things are going wrong. There is no denying that fact. We learn vastly more in our testing then in our prosperity. "Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything." (James 1:4)

All that to say, when we listen to God, he often leads us into places we'd rather not go. I think sometimes we are to focused on planning, and not enough on obeying. For the most part, our tasks as followers of Christ are right in front of us.

Is this to simplistic? Maybe. I certainly don't have all the answers. I know I have wished many times that God would just write instructions in the sky. How much easier life would be! But that is truly simplistic. I have heard many times that people would believe if they could only see God, and see a miracle - that people would obey if God would just clarify his will. But like Jonah, like Thomas, we are prone to doubt and disobedience. Like Israel, we easily ignore the tangible reality of God in favor of an easier, more comfortable life.

Proverbs 2 says: "Then (after seeking wisdom) you will understand what is right and just and fair—every good path."