“And I saw the glory of the God of Israel coming from the east. His voice was like the roar of rushing waters, and the land was radiant with His glory.” Ezekiel 43:2
“His feet were like bronze glowing in a furnace, and His voice was like the sound of rushing waters.” Revelation 1:15
Have you ever heard the sound of rushing waters? My family and I visited a dam recently when they opened the floodgates more than they had before. It was mighty and awe-inspiring! I had no idea water could be that loud! It’s quite a distinct sound- one you recognize right off when you hear it a second time. Maybe you’ve visited a waterfall or heard the waves at the beach.
The Bible compares God’s voice to the sound of rushing waters. Now think about His voice in your life. Is it mighty? Can you barely hear it? Do you ever hear it?
When I began to draw close to Christ and decided to fully commit every part of my life to Him (years after I became a Christian), I started asking Him to reveal Himself to me and to allow me to recognize His voice. I had been following the voices of the world and my own whims the majority of my life, and knew it was time for a change. The problem was that the voices to which I was accustomed to listening were the loudest ones. God’s voice seemed so tiny amidst the ocean of advice and opinions from others.
However, Psalm 119:145 became my prayer. “I call with all my heart; answer me, O Lord, and I will obey Your decrees.” Well, no surprise here….He ANSWERED! (He always does.) “Call to me and I will answer you and tell you great and unsearchable things you do not know.” (Jeremiah 33:3)
I soon realized it wasn’t that His voice was too small, but that I wasn’t trained to listen to Him. The problem never lies with God. John 10:4-5 says, “When he has brought out all his own, he goes on ahead of them, and his sheep follow him because they know his voice. But they will never follow a stranger; in fact, they will run away from him because they do not recognize a stranger’s voice.”
I had not been following my Master’s voice, because I had a hard time recognizing it. But once I began to seek the Lord wholly, I began to more quickly and easily discern God’s voice from all the others- including my own.
This is impossible without Scripture. God’s Word is the Bible, and He speaks to us through it. Therefore, if we want to be directed by God and truly hear from Him, we must be exposed to Scripture. As such, the more we read the Bible, write the Word, hang it around the house, and memorize it, the louder we recognize the voice of God.
You know those wonderful moments when you feel like you’ve just understood something for the first time? It feels amazing and yet humbling. I’ve had times when God has opened my eyes to new truths and suddenly realized I didn’t know everything I thought I knew. We say “the scales fell off of our eyes.” I feel like the same is true when it comes to hearing God’s voice. As we grow and truly begin to listen for Him, He becomes louder in our lives.
Do you want to recognize your Master’s voice? Do you want to directly hear from Him? You can! But it takes a determined heart to follow God. It can be so difficult in this age of technology and self-serving attitudes. It is often so hard for me to turn off the other voices in my life (TV, Facebook, texting,… even well- meaning friends), but the benefits so outweigh the small sacrifice.
There are times I will pick up the phone to call someone about a problem I’m having, and feel like God is telling me to speak to Him first. I then have a choice. The same happens when I want to relax and pick up the TV remote, only to hear God telling me to open His Word instead. Another choice. I’d love to tell you I always choose God, but I’d be lying. I can truthfully tell you, though, that the times I do listen are way more rewarding and leave me feeling full.
Lord, help us to learn to recognize Your voice. May we call to You with all our hearts and obey Your directions. Fill our minds with Your Word and set our feet on Your path. When we taste Your goodness, let us not turn back. Thank You for this great privilege we have as Your children. In Jesus’ name I pray, Amen.