You know how every now and then, you pick up on a hand full of situations that all seem to be telling you the same general idea? Maybe you've been praying hard about whether to get a new car or not, and weeks go by months maybe, and it's no longer the focal point of your mind, yet there will be a days worth of situations that present overwhelming conviction to make that decision? Or maybe there is nothing you are asking or seeking an answer to, yet there will be several moments that connect a general idea for you-a revealing I like to call it. Something God has been revealing to me lately is that He is consistently trying to reveal things to us. He is always talking to us, showing us things-yet, we don't always hear Him. Why is that I wonder?
I heard once the statistic that a newborn recognizes its' mother's voice upon birth, but it takes 14 days to recognize its' father's. 1 Corinthians 13 says:
11When I was an infant at my mother's breast, I gurgled and cooed like any infant. When I grew up, I left those infant ways for good. ---The Message
When we are babies, we drink milk. We don't do much other than poop, eat (drink), and sleep. If we are still doing only that as adults, then we have a problem right? And at that same notion, if we are adults trying to still survive on our mommy's breast milk, then we have more serious issues, correct? If it takes a newborn 14 days to recognize their father's voice, it makes sense then doesn't it that if we are spiritually still infant's, then we will also not recognize our father's voice?
Notice, too, that I am not saying "hear" our Father's voice. Because we do hear it, don't we? On those random days where things lineup or make sense, the dots are connected, and the general idea is understood. We "get it" then, right? So why not everyday? He is constantly talking to us so why are we not constantly hearing him? Just like the statistic says, we must recognize our Father's voice-and it takes GROWING in order to do so. Without growing, there is no distinguishing what is our voice, what is God's, and what is the voice of the enemy. So how do we grow?
We are constantly in the Word, learning about our Father and following the life of the Son. We are claiming freedom in Jesus Christ against our sins and the lies that bind us to those sins. That in turn allows room for the Holy Spirit to truly move in our lives and tangible ways. We are becoming less and less so that He can become more and more.
Secondly, we need to be getting rid of the distractions. What seems to be true in my own life is that going to church, being in the Word, and prayer only go so far until I completely surrender all that I have up to God. That includes my time, my hobbies, my job, my relationships-all of it. I heard a statistic this past weekend that only 10 percent of the WORLD has hot and cold running water. First of all, I was blown away. I could not believe it. Secondly, it got me to thinking about things we consider to be blessings.
So often, we thank God for things as blessings, when in turn they are actually distractions from hearing Him. For example, having a car. Transportation is a blessing when we need to get from place to place. But if we didn't have a car, there is always the bus, a cab, trains, a bike, or good old fashion walking. Life is not impossible without a car, just a little more challenging. And there is certainly no need to have a car worth half a million dollars. Or even have a hundred thousand dollars. There is no need. Then that "blessing" just turns into a status symbol and greed. Greed is a sin and that separates us from God and recognizing His voice. Another example might be a computer. It can be considered a blessing for work and research and education purposes. However, the tools that seem to set us free can also so easily bind us. The internet is full of traps. Porn, facebook, twitter, Pinterest, itunes, youtube, and the list goes on and on and on. Sure, those are not all horrible things, however, they are all in a capacity distracting us from hearing God because they take time away from the things that allow us to hear Him.
The rest of 1 Corinthians 13 says:
12We don't yet see things clearly. We're squinting in a fog, peering through a mist. But it won't be long before the weather clears and the sun shines bright! We'll see it all then, see it all as clearly as God sees us, knowing him directly just as he knows us!
13But for right now, until that completeness, we have three things to do to lead us toward that consummation: Trust steadily in God, hope unswervingly, love extravagantly. And the best of the three is love.
There will come a day when there will be nothing that hinders us from hearing and seeing God. But until that day, we are being trained for that time. And in that preparation comes the discipline of hearing our Father. To stop being infants, no longer drinking milk, but instead growing up, and eating meats and other foods that nourish us. Ephesians 4:14 says:
14-16No prolonged infancies among us, please. We'll not tolerate babes in the woods, small children who are an easy mark for impostors. God wants us to grow up, to know the whole truth and tell it in love—like Christ in everything. We take our lead from Christ, who is the source of everything we do. He keeps us in step with each other. His very breath and blood flow through us, nourishing us so that we will grow up healthy in God, robust in love. ----The Message
So I encourage you, brother and sister, to pray, to fast, to meditate, to be in God's Word, to open your mind and your heart to all He is constantly trying to show us. And to remember, even in those times you feel defeated or are seeking for a purpose through the pain, He is there. God is in the business of turning our mess into something beautiful that will glorify Him. So trust that although we can not understand sometimes, all things will come together for the good of those who love Him and are called according to His purpose. (Romans 8:28) And most importantly....
Listen. Your Father is talking to you, right now. Are you an infant who doesn't recognize His voice? Or are you ready to grow up, hear God, and most importantly, know Him?
In Him,
Meg
