Knowing the voice and the direction of God can be difficult at times. The difficulty often lies not with a lack of clarity on God’s part but a lack of genuine listening on our part. Often the noise of our own emotions and ideas drown out the voice of God. Instead of really listening, we make excuses. Or we make comparisons. Or we rule out what God has already said.
At the end of good King Josiah’s life, God tried to use the King of Egypt to rebuke a particular course of action. Josiah did not listen and it cost him his life. Read the following…
“Nevertheless Josiah would not turn his face from him, but disguised himself, that he might fight with him, and hearkened not unto the words of Necho from the mouth of God, and came to fight in the valley of Megiddo.” – 2 Chronicles 35:22
The issue for Josiah was that he did not listen. God was speaking, but he was not listening.
And the question for us is, Are we really listening? Do we really want to do what God wants us to do? Are we really open to knowing His will?
Or do we only half listen? Have we already made our minds up? Have we already dismissed certain answers as impractical or irrelevant or out of the question?
Half-hearted listening will cause us confusion and frustration. The issue is not with God; it is with us and our hearts not really being open to know and to do whatever God wants.
Hebrews 5:11 rebukes those… “Of whom we have many things to say, and hard to be uttered, seeing ye are dull of hearing.”
On the other side of things, John 7:17 tells us, “If any man will do his will, he shall know of the doctrine, whether it be of God, or whether I speak of myself.”
God is speaking. Are you listening?