“Today if you will hear His voice, do not harden your hearts.” Hebrews 4:7
Is it possible to hear the voice of God? And if it is, how can one discern Him speaking? In the book of Revelation, we have the words of the Lord Jesus addressing His church, His living body created at Pentecost so long ago, and enduring to this day. What does the Lord say? “Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone HEARS MY VOICE and opens the door, I will come in to him and dine with him and He with me.” (3:20) Is this true? Does the Christ of Nazareth, Jerusalem, the Cross and the Resurrection, speak still to the individual heart? Since He cannot lie, and will not, the Lord Jesus is still seeking to bring men and women to faith, to believe Him to fulfill exactly what He declares. His words are very simple, and yet, infinitely profound. They resemble those in Matthew’s gospel: “Ask, and it will be given you; seek, and you shall find; knock, and it will be opened to you. For EVERYONE who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened.” (Matt. 7:7,8) The Lord does not speak, as Isaiah has said, “…in secret, in a dark place of the earth; (where He) did not say to the seed of Jacob, ‘Seek Me in vain.'” (45:19) The Lord does not speak for no reason, or not to be heard. Nor does He speak of things which do not matter, and do not contribute to Life, His Life and glory being revealed to, and in the hearts of men. He speaks to be heart, not only to the listening ear, but to the obedient heart of faith, willing to respond whole-heartedly to Him.
It was E.M. Grimes who wrote the hymn: “Speak Lord In The Stillness.” In that hymn he wrote: “Speak, Lord in the stillness, while I wait on Thee; Hush’d my heart to listen in expectancy. Speak O blessed Master in this quiet hour; Let me see Thy face Lord, feel Thy touch of power. For the words Thou speakest, they are life indeed; Living bread from heaven, Now my spirit feed.” How do we know that Mr. Grimes’s words are true, and that his prayer will be answered?
In the Sermon On The Mount, the Lord Jesus, concerning the matter of prayer, said this: “In this manner, therefore, pray: Our Father in heaven, hallowed be Thy name. Your kingdom come. Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread…” The order of prayer always begins with a true, and right perspective of God as God, in His holiness, maker of heaven and earth, with Christ the Redeemer sitting at His right hand. As such, prayer is to be structured to seek that which is the logical objective and purpose of God’s revelation of Himself to men: “…Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.” The one who will hear the voice of God is the one whose desire and will is aligned with those of God, His purposes and His ways. When this is understood, and there is the willingness of the soul to hear God, and respond obediently to the revealed will of God, then daily bread is given. This bread, the living bread from heaven revealed by His words, His voice, is powerful, life-changing, altering circumstances, individuals, peoples and nations. The certainty of Christ standing at the door and knocking becomes real when He is believed faithful not able to lie The question is: “Who will go to the door to open it and give Christ free entrance, an entire access to the life?” The promise is: “I will dine with him, and he with Me.” This is the great reward of hearing the voice of God, the revelation of Christ to the heart by the Spirit, communion with God, fellowship with the Father and the Son. God speaks to whoever will hear.
Dear Father, Speak Life to us. In Jesus’ name, Amen.