Dear People Who Keep Company With God,
When Jesus was being arrested in the Garden of Gethsemane, Peter tried to cut off the head of the high priest’s personal assistant, Malchus. He missed and cut off his right ear (John 18:1-11). Jesus touched his ear and healed him (Luke 22:51).
I believe it is important to note the healing of Malchus’ ear was the last miracle Jesus performed during His earthly ministry. Hearing is such a vital part of a Christian’s life. Jesus said many times, “He who has an ear, let him hear.”
We cannot even follow Jesus apart from hearing Him. His sheep “hear His voice” and “His sheep follow him because they know his voice” (John 10:3-4). So hearing leads to knowing and intimacy (in-to-me-see) with Him.
On-line dating services gave me some insight concerning hearing in context of my relationship with the Lord. When they were first gaining popularity I was interested in why on-line relationships worked at all. Having lived most of my life without the Internet, I thought on-line relationship could not be right. I was wrong.
I read an article by Somerset Maugham titled, “Love is what happens to men and women who don’t know each other.” Here is an excerpt from the article.
“Which types of connection – those based upon vision or those based upon verbal communication have a more profound impact on romantic relationships?
In face-to-face relationships, most people fall in love in response to what they see, and then love is strengthened or weakened as further information is revealed. In online relationships, where self-disclosure is greater and hence intimacy is significant and occurs early in the relationship, most people first get to know each other and only then fall in love.”
That is the way our relationship with an invisible God works. He reveals His heart and mind to us and we fall in love with Him. Then we begin to see evidence of Him all around us.
There are some keys to hearing God that are illustrated in the Apostle John’s life and encounter with Jesus on the Isle of Patmos in Revelation, chapter one, that have helped me in my relationship with Him.
Be loved. John called himself the disciple whom Jesus loved (John 21:20). Jesus loved all the disciples, but John just knew it on a deeper level. Love is the foundation for all things spiritual and especially hearing God (Eph. 3:17-18).
Be in the Spirit. “I was in the Spirit” (Rev. 1:10). You are not going to hear much from heaven apart from being in the Spirit. It is the grace life. It’s trusting Him, abiding in Him, ceasing from your own labors and entering His rest. Grace is a gift from the Father that enables us to live in the realm of the Spirit.
Be alert. “I heard behind me a loud voice, as of a trumpet” (Rev. 1:10). Note the voice was behind John. The voice can come in many ways, directions and from various places. It was a loud voice indicating His voice is sometimes stronger than at other times. Elijah heard a gentle whisper (1 Kings 19:12). Being alert is simply making choices toward God and the things of God.
Be responsive. “I turned to see the voice that spoke with me” (Rev. 1:12). John’s response was simply to turn and “see the voice.” It was then that John was given the greatest revelation of Jesus Christ written in the Bible.
When we are not hearing, let’s ask the Holy Spirit what we are missing from John’s example.
Many Blessings, BW