Does God Still Speak?
A Meditation by Sis Yomi Clark
Who Has your ear and how do we cut through the many distractions and focus on the one true voice of wisdom? Our daily lives are consumed by loud music, videos, sports events, theater movies and Facebook activities just to name a few. We are so unaware that God may be speaking to us that we are truly not tuned in to hearing His voice. What about being distracted with the hype of new products such as cars, homes and phones. They can cause some of us to believe that those things are more valuable and worthy than our Lord. In other words, it drives us closer to worship material things instead of God. Our heavenly Father created man so that we would fellowship with Him and get to know Him in a deep and personal way. He has a plan for each of us. However, we allow distractions in our daily environment that prevents us from hearing His voice. Let me share a story about myself that I am sure most of us has experience it at some time in our life.
Anyone who knows me know that I struggle with directions especially since moving here to Texas but with the help of GPS I am getting better. So much so that when I need to revisit a place outside the jurisdiction of my immediate home, I don’t feel I need it. However; there has been a time or two where road changes were made causing traffic to be redirected and if someone like myself is not familiar with the area, can become lost. That is when we need to listen to that still small voice (Holy Spirit) who is trying to warn us to take another direction. Take heed because in some cases it may save your life.
Let me suggest you take these necessary steps that may help enable you to hear His voice:
First, I believe that we must familiarize ourselves with the Word of God in the Bible. Let me suggest picking up the paper bible and not necessarily the electronic one on your phone. You see for me I have gotten too relaxed when using the electronic bible and notice that I am not remembering where to find the scriptures. OH! I CAN recite them but I have to use Google (my trusty friend) who helps me in locating where to find scriptures in the bible.
I can pretty much guarantee you that by flipping through those paper pages of the bible, will help you to remember where to find them when you need them. We can begin to hear God’s voice loud and clear by reading and studying His word.
Secondly, I urge you to create a quiet space to devote time meditating while in prayer and ask for discernment while reading the scripture because God invites us to listen for His response. Let me refer you to 2nd Chronicles 32 that tells the story of Hezekiah and God’s response to his prayer. It highlights the importance of faith, trust and seeking God’s guidance even in times of difficulty. Hezekiah was told he will die and so he prayed to God recognizing Him as the ruler over the kingdoms of the earth. The Lord heard his prayer and seen his tears. In 2 Kings 20:5 that God said he will heal Hezekiah and added fifteen years to his life and also delivered the city into Hezekiah’s hand from the king of Assyria.
Next, we should wait and listen to Holy Spirit, who teaches and reminds us that we are to be led by the Spirit because we are the children of God. It is the Spirits role to guide and empower us to live a life that is pleasing to God. By being patient, we will discover that our relationship will deepen through the experience. God’s silence is not forever, it will teach us to sit with Him in silence. Let me refer you to 1st. Samuel 3: 7-11 the story of Eli who told Samuel to go lie down and if He calls you again, say speak Lord for your servant is listening. Sometime the problem is not God’s silence but our inability to hear. So, let me ASK ARE YOU LISTENING?
Now more importantly let me warn you to be careful what voices you allow to speak into your life because what you are listening to may lead you to physical and ultimately spiritual destruction. If the voice you hear is not matching up with the word of God, then you are listening to the wrong voice. That is why it is important we study and spend time in the bible familiarizing ourselves with the biblical foundation of God’s word, His life stories along with daily prayer, praise and private meditation will help to build a stronger relationship with Him. Listen for His voice by paying attention to spontaneous thoughts, such as the time two weeks ago when nurse Annie was praying over us and someone came forward and shared what the Holy Spirit told them. As well the intercessors who daily pray for us and may hear God speak to them and they then pass that information on to whomever needs to hear it. Now equally important is journaling your prayers and time you spend with the Lord. I encourage you to take God’s communications seriously while at the same time keeping it simple.
In closing we should give thanks to God for allowing us to open our eyes each morning because it can set the tone for the day. Remember our Father wants to commune with us so we must find that quiet space and get our Spirit ready. We must in tune our ears to His voice ensuring it is not the enemy by familiarizing our self with His biblical words. Then we should be ready to listen and allow truth to penetrate our heart with expectation. So even in the midst of being engaged with the daily demands of life God still speaks, we must lean in, focus and listen to the prompting of Holy Spirit. So again, I ASK ARE YOU LISTENING?