Reason #4: To Hear God’s Voice

“I’m not going to make my decision until I hear from God.  I need to know God’s will.”

A lot of Christians say variations of this when going through a time of decision.  And yes, we want to know God’s will in those times.  Especially the big decisions. But why do so many Christians say they have a hard time hearing from God? If you are battling a serious porn addiction or living a compromised life, then there’s no mystery of why God’s voice seems faint. Yet, even here, God is calling you to repentance. He rushes to save the lost sheep. If you’re reading this, then you’re hearing Him. Take action and listen. When we obey in the simple things, God gives us more difficult–and rewarding–things to do.

David sought the will of God frequently, before and after becoming king.  He sought it for all kinds of decisions.

And God answered him.  Let’s consider the juxtaposition of God’s interactions with David alongside those with Saul, who only sought God out of desperation.

I Samuel 14:37
Saul inquired of God, ‘Shall I go down after the Philistines? Will you give them into the hand of Israel?’ But He did not answer him on that day.

God doesn’t answer Saul.  This was right after Saul built an altar and corrected the people for breaking a law.  And right after this, we see Saul going on several successful military campaigns, helping establish Israel as a nation.  But God doesn’t answer him here, or ever again after this.  Why?  Because Saul disobeyed God, and did not recognize the authority or wisdom of God as compared to his own humanity. He was not a humble king.

Saul made his own choices, and made plenty of bad ones.  He is a picture of wasted potential.  Follow his trajectory.  He first gets anointed by Samuel, who believes God has chosen this man as king and that he will be a good one.  He demonstrates leadership, and gives the people hope against their enemies.  He even prophesies.

But his heart never belongs to God.  He disobeys.  He makes foolish vows that almost get his son killed over something stupid.  And then he starts to get delusional, perceiving his own obedience where it was actually just partial obedience.  By the time David gets on the scene, Saul is being tormented by an evil spirit, becomes paranoid about losing his kingdom, and wastes resources and manpower going after a national hero because he thinks David will kill all his sons and assume the throne.

But the first discernable sign of his failure was when God stopped answering him.  Now, do not be discouraged if you feel like you never hear God’s voice.  That is not my point.  In reality, you probably do hear it.  You just don’t perceive or recognize it as the Holy Spirit because sin has clouded your spiritual perception.  But God is always trying to communicate with us.

Sin is like a layer of thick slime covering the speaker on your phone.  It gets harder over time, and more layers pile on as the sin accumulates.  God is still calling on you, but you just can’t tell who it is when the phone rings.  The voice is garbled and muffled.  It’s easy to mistake it for your own voice, the one in your head telling you you’re a failed sinner.  Then again, that might not be your voice either (the accuser of the brethren…).

We want to hear from God.  We want to hear His voice in prayer and through prophecy.  In words of wisdom, and the discerning of spirits.  In all the spiritual gifts.  And He wants us to hear all these things more than we can imagine.

We must therefore desire freedom from the crusty filth of sin.