We are bombarded from all sides by voices claiming to open doors for us to be in the presence of God. Alongside that we are also offered solutions to all the problems we face in our lives. They claim to help us speak to and listen to God and seek answers directly from Him. In such a scenario a believer is also filled with doubts about his ability to listen to and then obey the voice of God. A believer is however, equipped by the Holy Spirit in us to hear, discern, understand and live in obedience to the voice of truth.
Hearing the voice of the unseen God – God created everything for His glory and love to be revealed in, through and for His created beings. He established set rules for nature which cannot be changed by anyone except by His own authority. The only instance of this change was for king Hezekiah in answer to his prayer for cancellation of the decree of death on him (Isaiah 38:7-8). God extended his life by fifteen years and a sign of confirmation was given to him. He was told, ‘Behold, I will bring the shadow on the sundial, which has gone down with the sun on the sundial of Ahaz, ten degrees backward’. The time clock was turned back with this.
But God has never abandoned His creation and even after their sin, God came to meet Adam and Eve, calling out to Adam, ‘Where are you?’ (Genesis 3:9). Lord Jesus told the Samaritan woman on the well, ‘God is Spirit’ (John 4:24). When Moses sought God to show Him his glory, the reply was absolutely clear, ‘You cannot see My face; for no man shall see Me, and live’ (Exodus 33:20). Man cannot see but can definitely hear God and listening to God opens the door to His blessings and abundance. The echo of the voice of God is in everything for all came to be with His word. Thus despite our own individual visible differences of culture, sex and age, we are inherently connected to that one thread; God’s voice.
With that as our core identity, we all walk on different paths but we must aim to ultimately reach the same place, in the presence of the Saviour Lord. Moses’ most important command to the Israelites is ‘Shema Yisrael, Adonai Eloheinu, Adonai Echad – Hear O Israel, the LORD our God, the LORD is one’ (Deuteronomy 6:4). Shema begins with listening and ends with oneness, this calls us out first, to deepen our capability to listen. It is to listen to the Divine voice, others around us and also to our own selves, for developing a close relationship. It is about bridging the gaps rather than erecting barriers and, in this manner, to move and remain close.
The second part of this is, ‘You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your strength’. A Jewish child is taught this prayer early in life and every morning at the beginning of the day and at night before going to bed, they recite this. The day is thus, committed to the service of the LORD and gratitude is expressed at the end of the day, as also of life. To love with ‘all your heart’ is to hear the voice of God, to live in obedience and feel its impact on us.
Of the total period of stay of four hundred years of the Israelites in Egypt, for around two hundred years, they lived as slaves. The Egyptians worshipped a number of gods for every aspect of life and the ten plagues were aimed at all of these gods. To escape the cruel treatment of the supervisors, some among them who were weak in spirit aligned with the Egyptians. Over a period of time, some of the Israelites also started worshipping the Egyptian gods and carried their idols with them.
When Moses, who had gone to receive the Commandments from the LORD God, did not return for forty days, these people incited others to ask Aaron to ‘make us gods that shall go before us’ (Exodus 32:1-4). Aaron asked for their ‘golden earrings which are in the ears of your wives, your sons, and your daughters’. He used that gold to make a golden calf and said to them, ‘This is your god, O Israel, that brought you out of the land of Egypt’. Moses was given general commands for the people at Mount Sinai and on being told these, the Israelites responded, ‘All that the LORD has spoken we will do’ (Exodus 19:8). It is said that the Israelites sanctified their ears to the LORD by piercing them and putting on earrings, to declare that they were slaves only to God, thereafter. Only men gave their earrings to Aaron and this grave sin of turning away from God resulted in the death of about three thousand men.
Hearing with the heart is to make, what is heard, a part of life and to desire that earnestly. This listening is a difficult task, for it requires us to open ourselves to the other and experience in the soul what is spoken. When the words touch our hearts, we are changed, through sensing and feeling what the other person is trying to convey and any barrier between the two is broken. We are cautioned, ‘Keep your heart with all diligence; for out of it spring the issues of life’ (Proverbs 4:23). When we hear right, our desires and our thoughts get aligned to live as per God’s way.
Hearing the voice of God – We know that ‘faith comes by hearing, hearing by the Word of God’ (Romans 10:17-18). Since the heart is the source of all our desires and faith is an earnest seeking of the Lord and living by His ways, this is about hearing by the heart. We further hear about all those who refuse to believe, ‘have they not heard’, and this hearing is by the ears, while the mind tries to process and rejects the truth. When one hears and speaks from deep within the heart, it is visible in his eyes as well as in his body posture and movements. That is when the soul expresses and accepts the message and it gets imprinted deep inside. It is this hearing that brings faith and submission to the Word of God. In this, thoughts, feelings and longings from within merge into one and the power therein moves the hearer also.
There are worshippers with great talent but only a few really touch the heart of the listeners. Our communication would then have thoughts, desires and deep longings of the soul and in like manner we hear others.
In this hearing understanding is after believing and commitment and this is to find ways to fulfil that. Moses conveyed the Words of the LORD to the Israelites and they answered together and said, ‘All that the LORD has spoken we will do’ (Exodus 19:8). This was a submission before full understanding, for from within their hearts they agreed while the mind could wait. This means that we can fully understand God’s Word by doing it and living that way. But generally, we seek to understand first and then obey. It is not blind faith but perceiving within our hearts, the results that God desires from us.
After David became king, he desired to bring the Ark of the Covenant to Jerusalem, for the same was captured by the Philistines by defeating King Saul (1 Chronicles 13). God struck them with sickness and they returned the Ark to the Israelite village of Kirjath-Jearim, where it was kept in the house of Obed-Edom. David consulted his commanders to bring the Ark and the attempt failed and Uzza died. This was the mind prevailing over the heart’s leading. Later when he opened his heart to God, the answer about the Levite Priests being the only ones authorised to carry was received (1 Chronicles 15:25-29). They could then bring the Ark back and David danced before the Ark in reverence and joy. When we speak and hear with the heart, God answers and we are filled with joy.
All the twelve disciples heard the words of Lord Jesus for three years, yet Judas Iscariot god Him arrested and others fled in fear. Only Apostle John was with the Lord from Gethsemane Park to the High Priests house and everywhere else, right up to the Cross. In the Gethsemane Park, out of the three who were separated from others to watch and pray, only Apostle John remained awake to hear and record our Lord’s prayer in His Gospel in chapter 17. Lord Jesus asked Apostle Peter three times addressing him as ‘Simon son of Jonah do you love Me’ (John 21:15-18). This love that He sought the first time was ‘agape’, a sacrificial love that seeks nothing in return and Apostle Peter replied confirming his ‘phileo’ love, the reciprocal love of friends. This was the Apostle hearing with his ears, filled with the guilt of denial. On the third time he opened his heart to the Lord and could say, ‘Lord, You know all things; You know that I love You’. Then, he could fully understand the purpose of Lord Jesus’ asking being to restore his faith by freeing him from the guilt, but only when he heard with the heart.
After the Day of Pentecost, the indwelling Holy Spirit could help them with speaking from the heart to Him. Before this the disciples were hiding together ‘for fear of the Jews’ who had crucified the Lord (John 20:19). Later, Apostles Peter and John were arrested by the Temple guards at the orders of the Chief Priests and the Jewish leaders for preaching salvation through the sacrifice of Lord Jesus (Acts 4:1-19). Next day they were brought before these spiritual leaders of the Jews and questioned. Apostle Peter boldly preached to them the salvation in Lord Jesus and none other and then, asked them instead, ‘Whether it is right in the sight of God to listen to you more than to God, you judge’. Heart conversations remove fear, lead us to righteousness and blessings. Then, we start with the deeds that lead us to grasping the message, on to insight and finally, comprehension. We tend to wait till all the facts are clear but when we hear the voice of the heart from within, we make the right decisions.
Judas Iscariot finally heard and perceived in his heart the words of the Lord and went back to the chief priests and Jewish elders. He threw the money in the Temple ‘and went and hanged himself’. The Word of God heard by the ears may not take effect but from the heart one will definitely be touched and changed.
Preparing self and our hearts to listen with the heart – God Himself told Abraham about blessing Him and Sarah, his wife with a son, ‘Then Abraham fell on his face and laughed, and said in his heart, ‘shall a child be born unto him who is an hundred years old? And shall Sarah, who is ninety years old, bear a child?’ (Genesis 17:17). In spite of hearing directly from God, he took it as a joke, for he heard with the ears and not with the heart. Apostle Paul further clarifies Abraham’s growth in faith, ‘And being fully persuaded that, what He (God) promised, He was able also to perform’ (Romans 4:21). Abraham persuaded his heart and also God acted on him to lead him to believe. Therefore, we can train ourselves to reach the state of ‘being fully persuaded’ and the indwelling Holy Spirit blesses us with ‘self-control’ to achieve this.
We know that ‘faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen’ (Hebrews 11:1). This assurance and conviction is like a trial, your mind presents its doubts and the heart through the Holy Spirit counters that. In this manner the barriers are removed and we grow strong in faith. A believer has his old sinful nature and the Holy Spirit also in Him, who does not eliminate the old nature. God in us guides us towards purpose and meaning, but we decide which nature must control us; our higher self or the worldly nature and this daily brings about a change in us. It starts with listening with heart over mind for our mind leads us towards worldly choices. Then we start living and speaking the language of the one who controls us.
If the heart has not heard the message of believing and then we may continue to speak to the mountain, nothing will happen. When the heart hears, right words are spoken and answers are received. We learn that ‘with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto righteousness’ (Romans 10:10). This heart is the sum total of our feelings, mind and will.
To train our hearts; first, honesty about faith – If what you heard is not clear deep within, turn to God inside to help you understand and He will increase your capacity to really hear, discern, understand and live accordingly. – It is a continuous process.
Second, understand what you heard or read – God does not desire robots like faith to act, as programmed. Our free will is used to act on what we believe. God told Abraham to ‘leave’ his family and everything to move to a new land (Genesis 12:1). No direction was given but he understood the word ‘leave’ and moved on. The Holy Spirit gives us knowledge and understanding (1 Corinthians 12:8) and we are told to ask wisdom from God ‘who gives to all liberally and without reproach’ (James 1:5). Then doubts will get removed and the heart will be equipped to listen and understand better.
Third, seek the meaning of the Word for you specifically – God conveys His Word to us in various ways and for each person the meaning has to be as per his circumstances. The Word from God must have a definite and clear message for your heart. Then we need to relate it to our spiritual and physical state and act accordingly. We can train our hearts for this.
Fourth, meditate on the message received – The heart must be guided to recycle it again and again, for it to take deep root inside. The Word is the seed sown in our hearts and must be protected from the devil, lest he steal it (Luke 8:11-12). We hear, speak and let the Word become a part of us and live accordingly.
The devil keeps on throwing the garbage of evil at us in bulk, with the intention that some will stick. Like our Saviour Lord, we keep countering that with the truth of the Word. It is not automatic but we have to continue in this always, to listen, discern and believe the truth only.
Lord Jesus has taught that everything is possible for the one who believes. We are not to assess ourselves and our lives, in light with others’ perception of us. Our strength, both spiritual and the earthly, comes from Lord Jesus, our Lord and Him alone. When we do this, our hearts are filled with the desire and a strong hope for a great and a blessed future. Seek the help of the indwelling Holy Spirit to guide and be filled with faith to live in obedience to the Word of God. This alone is the responsibility of every believer!
