My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me. I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one will snatch them out of my hand.
John 10:27-28, NLT
I, like about sixty million other Americans, have a smart home device. It turns my humidifier on and off, walks me through recipes, tells me jokes and answers random questions about measurements and space.
I've been having a bit of a problem lately though because when I originally programmed it, I wasn't feeling really good and over the past few months, my voice was pitched a bit lower due to respiratory issues. Now that I'm on the mend and my voice is back to normal, my device can't recognize when I'm speaking to it. I mean, I could be standing there yelling the start name and it takes forever to respond. And if it does respond, it won't do anything close to what I'm asking it to do.
The only option I have is to go back into its settings and "retrain" it to understand my voice.
How often do we become like these devices? You want to know what I've learned? I've learned that different seasons in our lives make a difference in how we "hear" God. In seasons of hardship, trials, grief and conflict, we cling to the Word of God like never before. We pray morning, noon and night. We fast, abstaining from food in our desperation for revelation. We go to church every time the doors open because we are seeking an encounter with the sovereign God. We are hungry for His wisdom and guidance, and we are listening carefully for an exit plan out of our situation.
But in times of plenty, in times of joy and ease, the "pitch" of God's voice seems to change on us. It suddenly becomes unnecessary to be "that deep" or serious about the Word. We're not trying to be "super saved" or "holier than thou." When things are going our way, we'd rather keep it real and just be human. We're too tired to be consistent with fellowship and too happy to be consistent with heartfelt prayer.
If this sounds like you, maybe it's time to have a look at your settings. Being tuned to the voice of God is vital to everyday spiritual growth. His beautiful wisdom and gracious love for us, found in His Word, is the vehicle for the sound that produces life in us. His sacrifice, His scandalous death on the cross, guaranteed our place in heaven and eternal life. And what's even better is that He is committed to us, refusing to allow anyone or anything to snatch us away.
The faithfulness of Your heart depends on your willingness to abide in the presence of the Father. We are privileged to have the opportunity to have consistent access to the King of Kings. Retrain your ear in every season by sitting at the Father's feet, reading His Holy Word, meditating on the scripture, and praying in earnestness to Him.
What does that look like? It can be as simple and easy as reading a scripture in the morning and thinking about it throughout the day. Maybe chat with a friend about it. Post it on social media and engage in discussion with your followers. You can jot down a few words about it in your journal at the end of the day. Mention the verse in your daily prayer or in prayer with your spouse and kids. No matter the season, no matter the situation, God is always available and always ready to commune with us. He loves to hear from us. Let's learn to love to hear from Him.
There's a part two to this that I can't wait to share next week!
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