Are You Listening?

“The Lord GOD has given Me the tongue of disciples,
that I may know how to sustain the weary one with a word
He awakens Me morning by morning,
He awakens My ear to listen as a disciple.
The Lord GOD has opened My ear;
and I was not disobedient
nor did I turn back.” Isaiah 50:4-5

How do I know that God is speaking to me? How can I be sure of God’s direction for my life? Does God “speak” to people today? And if so, how does He speak?

Those questions (and many more like them) are voiced by those who struggle to understand the Christian life. Those types of questions lead to satisfying answers and a deepened relationship with God. We know from experience and from the truth of God’s Word that God speaks most often through His word, through His people, and through the circumstances of life. The big question is: “Are we listening?” Do we have the sensitivity to hear when God speaks to us? Are we anticipating an answer, looking for God’s response?

There are many hindrances to our ability to hear when God speaks to us. We throw up a wall by known, willful sin; by quenching the Spirit; by hardening our hearts to needs around us; by being too busy to stop to listen and evaluate. Don’t let anything get in the way of your ability to hear the Lord speak to you clearly. We face immeasurable loss when God gets a “busy signal” when trying to reach us. “When God speaks, do I hear?”

To listen to God, you must tune your “receiver” to hear His voice.