This week, Chrystie Cole, Student Ministry Staff, answers an anonymous question.
When we pray, we speak or think in real, concrete
language. How does God reply to us if He doesn't use an actual voice; how can
we be sure a “still small voice” or something similar isn’t just our mind
making up what we desperately want God to say?
Communicating with God through prayer is one of the most
wonderful gifts God has given us. The ability to come before Him, to engage in
relationship with Him in the act of prayer anywhere at anytime is nothing short
of miraculous. We are in no way entitled to this; it is just one of the many
graces God has bestowed upon us. Unfortunately, this gracious gift often leaves
people filled with discouragement and frustration.
We have all experienced times when our prayer life seems
one-sided. The problem is often our expectation of it. If we approach prayer
with the expectation that God will map everything out for us, we will more
often than not find ourselves paralyzed into inaction. He gave us a mind with
which to reason. And yet, we wonder, can we really trust our minds or our
hearts? How can we be sure, as you said, that we are not seeking the answers we
want rather than seeking God’s will?
Your question is not an unusual one, but one asked by many
on a daily basis. Thankfully, in His grace and mercy, God has given us
parameters or boundaries within which we can move about freely as we seek to
discern His will for our lives.
First, it is important for us to acknowledge that God
absolutely can and does speak to us. Scripture gives many accounts of how God
has chosen to reveal Himself to His people. He spoke to Moses from a burning
bush; He revealed Himself to Elijah in a gentle whisper; He spoke through
prophets and angels. These are called direct revelations. As we’ve learned
recently through our 1 Kings series, in the Old Testament God did speak and
reveal Himself to His people in very clear, direct, and miraculous ways, but
even then it was not the norm. Likewise for us today, though God can directly
reveal Himself to us, this is not the way He chooses to communicate with us
most frequently. So, how does He speak to us?
One way God communicates with us is through His Word.
Scripture is our highest and best source for truth and the knowledge of God’s
will. The psalmist in Psalm 119 spends much time ascribing glory to God’s word.
He describes it as a lamp for his feet and a light for his path (vs. 105) and
he stores God’s word in his heart in hopes that he might not sin against Him
(vs. 11). As believers, we need to have the same mindset as the psalmist. God
has already given us His word through the Scriptures. The author of the book of
Hebrews said that in the old days God spoke in many ways to many people, but in
the last days He has spoken to us through His Son (Hebrews 1:1-4). God has
spoken to us most clearly, authoritatively, and infallibly through Jesus. As
such, Jesus, the Word made flesh, is our best source of truth.
Yet, Scripture doesn’t always address every specific season
or circumstance we face, and so we find ourselves wanting something more
tangible. Of this, though, John Piper said that if, “you live your life not on
the basis of spiritual wisdom, but on the basis of external revelations, you
are not compelled to deal so deeply with the corruption of your own heart and
mind…God wants conformity to His Son Jesus Christ, not just external compliance
with instructions.” In Romans 12:2, Paul exhorts believers to not be conformed
to the world, but to be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that “you may
discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.” As
we read and meditate upon the Scriptures and upon the Gospel of Jesus Christ,
we are transformed more into the image and likeness of Christ and as such, we
will think, live, speak, and act more like Christ.
God also speaks to us through His people. While we are being
transformed more into the image and likeness of Christ, we are also still
sinners. Scripture may be infallible, but we are not. Everything we do likely
has mixed motives. Our desires often color the lens through which we view life;
we are biased. Confirmation bias is a technical term used in psychology,
meaning that a person often gathers evidence, seeks and/or favors information,
or interprets things in a biased way. Simply put, we seek confirmation on what we
already believe or want.
…it is imperative that we
seek wise counsel and work out Scripture’s truths in our lives through strong,
biblical community.
Therefore, as we seek to hear from God - as we read,
interpret, and seek to apply Scripture to our lives, it is imperative that we
seek wise counsel and work out Scripture’s truths in our lives through strong,
biblical community. Each member of the body has been given gifts of the Spirit
that are crucial to the body as a whole for the edification of the church.
Biblical community provides us with wisdom, direction, confirmation, and shade
- allowing us to move forward with confidence.
Finally, as we seek to discern God’s will and direction for
our lives, we trust and rest in His sovereignty and in the ministry of the Holy
Spirit. The Holy Spirit dwells within us and act as our teacher and counselor –
guiding us in all truth (John 16:13-15). But we find our greatest hope,
perhaps, in the truth that God is sovereign over everything. All things are
subject to Him and He works all things according to His will and purpose. He
even reigns over our sin and bad choices – redeeming them and using them for
our good and the good of His kingdom.
So, as we seek God’s will for our lives, as we seek to hear
from Him, as we seek His direction - we pray humbly, read, and meditate upon
God’s Word, confirm in biblical community, and then we proceed boldly.