Beyond Virtual Christianity:  The Voice of God

I Kings 19:1-18, Hebrews 13:6-8

            Faulty communication lies at the heart of many problems.  It’s been estimated that in business, 60% of all management problems are a result of faulty communication.  A leading marriage counselor says that at least half of all divorces result from bad communication between spouses.  Criminologists say that upwards of 90% of all criminals have difficulty communicating with other people.  (Illustrations Unlimited, 106).  And if we could reduce it to statistics, I’ll bet that most of our problems with God have to do with faulty communication, too.  Mostly on the listening end.  How can you hear the voice of God today? 

            In Salisbury, England, Evangelist John Holme was fined the equivalent of $1700 when he went up in a motor-driven paraglider so he could preach to the people on the ground.  Here’s what he said in his defense:  “I thought that maybe if they heard this voice booming from the sky, they would think it was God.”  (Story file, 15.6.7)

            I can relate to his frustration.  And his desire.  I really wish that I could create for you an environment in which you could hear the voice of God.  I wish I could do that for you.  But I can’t.  I can’t make you hear God’s voice.  The best I can do is to coach you, so that you can hear God’s voice for yourself. 

            I think there are two things that we all need to hear about listening to God.  One is a statement, the other is a question.  Here they are: 

*God still speaks. 

*Do you want to hear what God is saying? 

            God still speaks.  The writer of Hebrews says that Jesus Christ is the same, yesterday, today and forever.  The same as when he healed lepers along the road.  The same as when he challenged the Pharisees in the synagogue, the same as when he called his disciples.  The same as when he taught multitudes.  The same as when he rose from the dead. 

            In the Bible we read stories about God speaking to Abraham, Moses, Noah, Mary, Joseph, Paul, and so many others.  And God still speaks today. 

            God speaks to us through other people.  Friends, colleagues, family.  Many times when God speaks to us through another person, that other person is oblivious to that fact.   For them, it’s just ordinary conversation, but to you, when it happens, there is a connection in your heart that goes so deep that you recognize the message must be from God. 

            God sometimes speaks to us in certain familiar places.  God often speaks to me in my study at home.  Not that my study is any more sacred than anywhere else.  But it’s where I do a lot of my praying, and it’s where I get quiet enough to listen. 

            God often speaks to us in nature.  If you stop to notice, the beauty and wonder of God’s creation can open your heart to the Creator. 

            For many of us, God also speaks in a quiet inner voice.  It may not be audible.  It may simply be an impression or a thought.  But it is there, nonetheless, a strong sense of God’s leading and directing. 

            Not surprisingly, God also speaks to us through the Bible.  Very often, in reading the Bible, I will find that God speaks to me through familiar passages in new and even surprising ways.  That’s because the Bible is not a dead book, it is a window to God, who is still alive, and who still speaks. 

            One of the dilemmas we face, in hearing God’s voice, is how do I know it was really God and not just the chicken wings I ate for dinner?  And that’s a legitimate question, because there have been many people who have said that God told them to do something, and that something was destructive and evil.  The name Adolf Hitler comes to mind, and Osama Bin Laden.  Many criminals who are in psychiatric wards have said the same thing. 

            But just because some people have misused the idea of God speaking, doesn’t mean we should just write it off.  That would be a huge mistake.  Because God still speaks.  What we need to do is test what we think is from God:  Ask yourself whether the results or consequences will honor God and build people up.   God will not lead us to dishonor God, or to tear people down.  (Real Followers, 47, paraphrased)

            Two other tests will help us confirm that what we heard is from God:  It will be consistent with what God has already said in the Bible.  Another important place to go for confirmation is the Body of Christ, the church.  Test what you’re hearing by talking to trusted friends who also listen for God’s voice.  See if they confirm what you’ve heard. 

            Finally, move ahead on what you believe God has said.  God will open doors, God will make a way, even when the odds seem incredibly stacked against you.  If you wonder about that, go back and read about a man named Noah and his big boat. 

            God still speaks. 

            The question is:  Do you really want to know what God is saying? 

            George W. Bush was watching as a group of dignitaries toured the White House.  He saw an old man with white hair, a long white beard, wearing a long white robe and holding a staff.  The man was staring up at the ceiling as George W. stepped over to him and said, breathlessly, “Excuse me, sir, but aren’t you Moses?”  The man stood perfectly still and continued to stare at the ceiling, saying nothing.  Again George W. asked, a little louder this time, “Excuse me, sir, aren’t you Moses?”  Again the old man stared at the ceiling motionless without saying a word.  George W. tried a third time, louder yet.  “Excuse me sir, aren’t you Moses?”  Again, no movement or words from the old man, who simply continued to stare at the ceiling.  One of the president’s aides asked him if there was a problem, and George W. said, “Either this man is deaf or extremely rude.  I have asked him three times if he was Moses, and he has not answered me yet.”  To which the man, still staring at the ceiling finally replied, “I can hear you and yes, I am Moses, but the last time I spoke to a bush, I spent 40 years wandering in the wilderness.”  (internet)

            The problem with hearing God’s voice is that God doesn’t just have a nice conversation with us. God has an agenda for our lives.  So, we really do need to ask whether we want to hear God’s voice. 

            God will say go or stay.  God will say, I want you to take another look at that situation, you’re not seeing it quite right.  God will say, you need to make a change here or there. 

            Remember in the midst of this:  God is the one who loves you.  God is the one who knows what will bring you fulfillment and how your gifts can be most fully used.  So, the place where God leads you will be for your own ultimate good.  Still, it may be a difficult place to choose.  And it may well require changes on your part. 

            Elijah provides a great model for us in this respect.  Elijah is one of God’s great prophets.  But in this story we do not see his strengths, but rather his weaknesses.  He has just experienced one of the most amazing miracles a prophet could experience.  God has shown great power and might and strength.  The wicked prophets of Baal have been destroyed.  In Elijah’s mind, that should have settled things for all time.  The wicked Queen Jezebel should have been brought to her knees and worshiped the God of Israel.  It’s over, Elijah thought.  God has triumphed.  But it wasn’t over.  Jezebel just became more enraged, and set out to kill Elijah. 

            In contemporary terms, here’s what has happened.  Elijah has singlehandedly brought the Taliban and Al Quaida to their knees.  They have all been utterly destroyed.  And that should end terrorism.  But it doesn’t, because Osama Bin Laden is still plotting new strategies, and has put out a contract on Elijah. 

            Elijah is devastated, more than afraid.  He is angry, depressed, burned out.  He wishes he were dead.  In spite of all his efforts, in spite of all his faith, things haven’t turned out the way he thought they should.

            And that’s really the crux of it, for Elijah.  But God still speaks.  And God has yet another word for Elijah.  And, so we hear about this wonderful experience that has been talked about for centuries:  Elijah in the cave waiting for God to come by and visit.  First there is great noise and disturbance:  Powerful wind, destructive earthquake, and consuming fire.  Now, I submit that all of these would appeal to Elijah, especially if they would rain down on Jezebel’s head.  But God was not in the wind or the earthquake or the fire.  After all the ruckus, there is the sound of sheer silence.  Can you feel what that is like?  It’s like a tornado has just ripped through your property, and then dead calm.  In the sheer silence (still small voice), Elijah senses the presence of God. 

            As Elijah and God talk, God reassures Elijah that indeed God is still in charge (not Elijah), and that God still has plans for Elijah. 

            I think most of us are like Elijah in this respect:  we have a clear sense of how things ought to be.  And when things do not come out the way we think they should, we feel it is our righteous duty to complain about that.  And we may even get down and depressed as Elijah did.  And like Elijah we need to hear the voice of God saying to us,  “I’m still here, I’m still talking, and I’m still in charge (not you). Follow me, you’ve got a job to do.”  God still speaks.  But God does not always shout.  Sometimes we need to get quiet so that we can hear. 

            Are you ready to hear what God is saying to you, in the context of your own life, your own pain?  Are you willing to go when God says go, and stay when God says stay?  Or do you need to call all the shots?