A Quote
“I’ve come to think of questioning as a moral practice. When you are asking a good question, you are adopting a posture of humility. You’re confessing that you don’t know and you want to learn. You’re also honoring a person.”
—David Brooks, How To Know A Person
A Thought
Decades ago, I attended college at North Central University in Minneapolis (at that time, North Central Bible College). The big city setting was a drastic difference from the wooded countryside in which I grew up. The urban jungle is filled with public buses, taxis, skyscrapers, and miles and miles of sidewalks. I always worked 15-20 hours a week, so life was filled with classes, homework, employment, and late night socializing squeezed in despite lack of sleep. The combination of urban setting and university life meant that moments of silence were few, if non-existent.
I remember one fall trip home to rural Wisconsin and laying down to sleep in my old bedroom with the windows open. There were no car horns, nor creaks from dorm radiators. There was no shouts down the dorm hallway, nor doors opening and closing from the next room over. All I heard was the wind, and crickets, and the rustle of leaves. It wasn’t silent, but the sounds I heard were normally drowned out by the city life.
In my church tradition, listening to God is a normal part of the walk of faith. We expect that God can and will speak and direct and guide us. It happens often through the Bible or in prayer, just knowing the thought is from God, and then confirmed.
Yet listening to God is very complicated, often hard because of the cacophony of sounds that constantly reverberate about us. Predominantly, the noises that surround us are internal sounds—voices from our upbringing, from our perspective of the character of God, from our ego and pride, and from our insecurities. Thankfully, as I’ve matured in my faith, it is easier for me to discern what is the heart of God and what is based in flesh, but it is always a challenge, especially the days when all seems too silent or the days when other voices scream louder.
But there is another challenge—when hearing from God and reality don’t line up. What happens when I am confident I heard from God and circumstances don’t happen the way God directed? Over the years, I’ve witnessed it happen to others and experienced it myself a few of times. There have been seasons when I knew God’s desire and His direction and I could see the Lord’s vision for the future. But not every decision is within my power to decide, and the door wasn’t opened for that vision. Of course, I also had to ask myself if I missed hearing from God or did others?
I’ve been chewing on this issue for some time, and a few biblical principles have become anchors to hearing God’s direction.
First…God cares more for the heart than the outside. When the prophet Samuel was tasked with anointing the next king of Israel, he saw Jesse’s good-looking eldest son and assumed that HE was the one. But God said no. And no to the next one. And the next one. Until Samuel finally was shown the youngest—and unremarkable—son, and God said, “This is the one.” Make decisions for God based on character, not outward impressions. Church/ministry leadership should BEGIN with character and a heart of love, not an impressive exterior.
Second…trust people of character. 1 Kings 12 covers what happens when you trust the input from immature people rather than wise, godly leaders. Too often, we listen to people who we’ve known longer rather than look for spiritual wisdom from godly, humble people. I am learning…don’t trust people just because of position or power but look at the heart and spiritual maturity and the spiritual fruit they are producing.
Third…trust deeply in the love of God. Recently, a friend of mine resigned from a cross-cultural ministry work. It wasn’t due to their decision, but instead, it was the result of an abusive and toxic atmosphere. Their departure wasn’t God’s plan. Instead, God would have dreamed for them to have long and deep ministry. They didn’t make a mistake listening to God, but they bore the pain from the sinful actions of others. Remember that God has not forgotten you, and the words He is saying above everything else is, “I love you, and you will have My presence as you walk this unplanned trail.” Hear the voice of God’s presence even as the reality of His direction is unjustly switched.
I have a 96-year-old uncle who has the hearing of a teenager. The adage “could hear a pin drop” actually applies to him. I sat across the room and talked in a normal voice, and he heard every word.
God is calling His Church to have that type of spiritual hearing. The verse from the book of Acts that says, “It seemed good to us and the Holy Spirit” must become the norm. Far too often the reality is leadership structures only operate with half that phrase, “It seemed good to us….” We need ears that will hear and discern the whisper of the Spirit. We must receive God’s leading in humility, His confirmation from people of proven character and godly maturity, and godly discernment that looks beyond the exterior.
Lord, make us people unswayed by what is “politically” wise and what seems good to us, and instead help us know what is good to You, the Holy Spirit. May we have ears to hear Your voice and the courage to act upon that voice.
A Question (or Questions)
What is the Spirit saying to you?
How is God calling you to trust Him more?
What needs to become still in your life for you to hear?
What courage do you need in order to reject the wrong voices?