To Know Him is to Hear Him

I love to meet people who work with my husband. I'm so insanely proud of him when people go on and on about how wonderful he is to work with. I'm never surprised to hear them say he is helpful, honest, kind or hard-working. In fact, I wouldn't even believe someone who said he was harsh or difficult or hot-tempered. See, I've known Jon for 22 years now. I've spent a lot of time with him, talking to him, listening to him, watching him. I've seen him interact with his parents, his siblings and his friends. I've observed him with all of our children at all different times of the day and night. I've heard what people who know him say about him. We've worked through issues, problems and frustrations together. I've taken the time to discover what he loves and what he hates. What makes him smile and what makes him sad. I know Jon. I know the sound of his voice and I'm even learning to interpret his silence.

It wasn't always that way. I remember vividly our first few phone conversations when we were in high school...awkward pauses, surface questions. I remember thinking, "Man, this guy is HARD to talk to!" (It's a good thing he was so handsome!)

I'm sure you know where I'm going, and forgive me for being rather "basic." But I think so many of us miss the profound because we ignore the obvious. I'm sincerely dumbfounded by the number of Christians I know who literally allow days and days to go by without talking to God or picking up His word. It's no wonder so many of us can't hear Him. We don't know Him very well yet.

The very foundation of recognizing the voice of God is taking the time to get to know Him.

Find out what God loves and hates. Ask His friends what He is like. Observe Him interacting with His children. Wrestle with Him through a few frustrations. Ask Him questions and listen for His answers.

As we plunge into this discussion, we will eventually address all the different ways we do this. But today, just start where you are.

First, ask God with a sincere heart to help you to recognize His voice more clearly. Ask Him often. A hundred times a day, if you have to. Easy, right?

Second, get into His word and learn about Him. That is a little more intimidating. Where to start? Well, if reading the Bible isn't your thing, or you want it to be your thing, but you frankly find it confusing, complicated or boring (it's OK to admit this to God. As my pastor says, He's very secure in His Deity!) here are some tips. Pick one:

Join a Bible study. Something you like with people you enjoy.

Go to any Christian book store on your way home today and browse the Bible study section. Pick up a study on a topic that interests you. There are hundreds of them. It can be anything. Just get in there and find out what God thinks about the stuff that interests you.

If you don't have a good study Bible, get one of those, too. Start in the book of Matthew and read all commentary along the way. This will help you understand what you are reading and make it relevant to you. I like the Life Application Study Bible for this purpose.

This is only the beginning of what is, quite honestly, an inexhaustible topic.

Here are some things we will discuss in the future:

two things that will always accompany the voice of God

hearing aids to help you clear out the static

the different voices in your head and how to tell which one is God, you, the world or the devil

interpreting the silence

Before you leave today, post a comment telling me about your favorite Bible Study or tips for getting started and staying motivated. If you tried to leave a comment yesterday but couldn't because you didn't have a Google account, I fixed that. Try again.