How do you hear God's voice? - part 2

My third point: when we look in the Bible, we often see God affirms people's identity before sending them out on a mission. This is most clearly seen in Jesus. Before He started His ministry, He was baptised and the Father affirmed His identity - "This is my Son who I dearly love. In Him I am well pleased". And then Jesus started all the cool stuff! (after going to the desert). The point I am trying to make here, is that too often we try and 'cut to the chase' with God - "okay God, what do you want me to do?" "show me the way and I'll go", "what is Your will, God?". Not that these are bad questions at all. But I think we first need to ask God "who am I?" "who have you created me to be?" "what is my identity?". I believe God is more interested in showing us who we are really (how He sees us), than simply giving us endless tasks. I believe what we do must flow out of who we are. Not that God won't ask us to do something that feels unnatural or doesn't seem to fit with our talents. He might well do that. But I believe God is eager for us to know who we are in Him.

Fourth, I believe that we need to look for God's voice. It is true that we shouldn't try to muster up God's voice - He speaks to us. But often He speaks in such a way that requires us to open our "eyes" wider to find His voice, and to give Him the benefit of the doubt. It can sometimes feel embarrassing to say "God told me this", or "God spoke to me", thinking that we'd prefer to believe exclusively in a natural explanation for everything, unless it's miraculous. But I think we should expect Him to be speaking to us, and desire to hear His voice (not out of duty or jealousy of others), but simply because we want to hear Him speak.

Fifth, don't wait around. Use what's in front of you. If you've been asking God what steps to take, and He doesn't seem to be responding, that could mean simply carry on what you're doing. Sometimes we need to see our lives with fresh perspective - to see what's around us and the possibilities and opportunities. And ask questions. Of course, I'm not advocating a purely strategic approach here. Remember that the Proverb compels us not to "depend on your own understanding". However, there are other parts of the Bible which encourage us to use wisdom (especially throughout Proverbs). Just don't depend on human strategy. Be prepared to take risks. Give yourself. The Christian life requires that you give all and don't hold back. Be prepared to do things that don't seem logical. But at the same time don't be afraid to follow your instincts. There's no formula for this one. Sorry.