Hearing God's Voice

I suppose it's time to post on a specific topic again.

My days are pretty unique here, but they follow the pattern outlined in the last post, so it probably won't be very interesting to go into all the details for everyone. But, what I can say is that throughout this time, I've been learning and experiencing more and more of hearing God's voice. I'm seeing how true it is that this is a major theme in YWAM, that it's really how they operate. All different bases, all over the world, all run by different leadership, but all listening to the Lord. It is this last thing that brings unity not only to YWAM as an organization, but to the Church as a whole, and it's been very cool to see how I fit into that.

I've always been the hardest person on myself as far as my faith is concerned. That fight to be better and striving against my own shortcomings is super useful, of course, but it has a flip side. As with anything, too much of any one thing skews one's perspective, which in this case kept me from seeing a side of God's character: His being my Father. He does not want to be some mysterious, silently benevolent ruler, we've got a whole book from Him telling us what He's like to show He wants to be known. He wants to be our "Abba, Father" (Romans 8:15), our Daddy.

While God IS the Teacher, that's not all He is, and living like that's all He is robs me of my relationship with Him as His son. I had only thought that sanctification, which I wanted to see so badly in myself, came through lessons taught and applied. But as I lived this way, I forgot that fathers (and particularly THE Father) love to spend time with their kids. Your Dad loves being with you, Levi. Super simple. A son becomes like his father not just because his father teaches him, but because he lives with him, by watching him, talking to him, listening to him, and enjoying things with him.

This last point was made very clear to me when one of the speakers here asked us to close our eyes, and imagine we were four years old. Just a little kid again. And then he said, "Now imagine you feel a tap on your shoulder and turn around and see that it's God, and He says He wants to play a game with you. Now play with him in your imagination." I'd never thought of this before, and it was one of those moments that just made sense, like that was how it's supposed to be. Try it some time, be a four year old kid with God. It's interesting to see what you end up playing.

As I've gotten to know Him more, I've learned that God can (and does) talk to you pretty frequently, through all sorts of ways (He spoke through dreams to Joseph, and of course there's Scripture, for example). Maybe not in the way you'd like, but if you seek Him and don't "cherish sin in our heart" (Psalm 66:18), He WILL respond. We see this plainly in Matthew 7:7-8, and that is immediately reinforced in the next three verses, 9-11. Figuring this out has shown me not only the times the Lord has spoken to me in the past, but it's woken me up to how often He's spoken to me, how much I could have been talking to Him, and I didn't hear Him. And I was frustrated that He wasn't speaking? How foolish of me!

But, God is faithful, and all is forgiven. So, now that I'm on my feet, as it were, what's the real, practical difference? It's in prayer, of course. When you hear and get to know your Father, and align yourself with Him, His wants become your wants, His dreams your dreams, you love what He loves, and you hate what He hates. This means putting yourself aside, humbling yourself, and asking, "Lord, how should I pray?" And He'll tell you. It's amazing. I saw a picture of a little girl in an orphanage recently and asked Him what I should pray for, and got the urge to pray that she would have crayons. Crayons? Why would I think of crayons? I don't even like crayons, I think they're messy and the feeling of wax bugs me. But there it is, I asked what to pray for and it was given to me.

This is all great, and I sure hope it excites someone out there, but I need to be sure to emphasize the reason why I can call myself a child of God. After all, my sin made a rift so big between the Father and I that nothing I could ever hope to do or say could save me from the wrath I so rightly deserved. It is only because of Jesus, who loved me so much He left Heaven to pay my crushing ransom while I was yet a sinner, that I am saved and remade and adopted into God's family.

So please, people, don't do what I did. Don't miss what God wants to say to you, don't miss all the times you could be riding your bike or drinking coffee or reading a book with your Father. He's right there, all the time.

"Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives; he who seeks finds; and to him who knocks, the door will be opened."


Onward, to serendipity.