7 Ways to Hear From God Through the Circumstances of Life
Every believer wants to hear from God. We want to know “Is this God?” “Is this what He is telling me to do?” The Bible is full of incidents where God spoke to people in very definite ways at definite times. The people of the Bible seemed to know when God was talking to them. Sometimes when God speaks to us it is very clear to us that He has spoken, but there are other times when we are wondering if it was God speaking or the daily lunch special at our local diner.
How do we take the circumstance of life, as mixed up and confusing as they can be, and figure out what God could be saying to us? Here are some suggestions:
Mirror our circumstances with the truth of God’s Word. God will never contradict Himself. He will never speak to us through our circumstances in a way that will contradict His written word. The Bible should be our first source of information when trying to discern the voice of God.
God uses people to confirm His voice. God often sends people into our path to confirm His will for our life. We will encounter people who will distract us from hearing from God, but God will also use people to confirm His will. It is important to discern those who are seeking the heart of God from those who desire to please themselves. People who attempt to follow God with their life can help us to hear from God.
Recognize that God operates from a plan. Acts 17:26-27 assures us that God is orchestrating His plans through the events, decisions of life and all the people and places we encounter so that mankind will call out to Him. Proverbs 16:9 says, “In his heart a man plans his course, but the Lord determines his steps.” Rick Warren has sold millions of books telling us that we should live our life with a purpose…God’s purpose.
Examine our circumstances in light of God’s overall plan. When trying to hear from God through the circumstances of life, we should not try to make a decision on one event or set of circumstances. Circumstances may or may not be God speaking to us. We should look at our life over a span of months or years. Jeremiah 29:11 indicates that God has a definite plan to proper us and give us hope. When we look at our life over time we will be able to see what God has been doing.
Don’t allow circumstances to keep us from hearing or obeying God.
Paul says in 1 Corinthians 16:8-9 (NIV) “But I will stay on at Ephesus until Pentecost, because a great door for effective work has opened to me, and there are many who oppose me.” The common sense thing to do when everyone opposes you would be to leave, but Paul knew the circumstances were not indicative of God’s will for his life.
Sometimes our circumstances may look gloomy, but we haven’t heard the truth of our circumstances until we have heard from God.
Ask God to show us His perspective on the circumstances. You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart. (Jeremiah 29:13 NIV) If we desire to hear from God through our circumstances we must intently listen for the voice of God. Hearing from God is not always easy. As followers of God we will spend our whole life trying to discern the will of God for our life; listening for His voice. When life is coming at us we cannot seem to understand what is going on, we shouldn’t be afraid to ask for clarification. We should feel free to ask, “God what did you mean by that?”
God’s primary desire in speaking is for eternal purposes. We limit God to this finite world when we fail to remember He is an infinite God. When we are trying to discern God’s voice through the circumstances of life we should consider how what is happening around us fits into God’s eternal plan to save a lost world from destruction and to mold His children into the image of His Son. God’s primary activity will be in these areas of our life.
Hearing from God is critical for the children of God to know God’s will for our life. We must listen intently and carefully for His voice through the crowd of noises in the world in which we live. Thankfully God has not given up on us, but is still speaking to His people today. Our mission is to learn how to hear His voice.
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