People always ask me, “How do you hear the voice of the Lord?” My response is always contains the word, “Ask.” Somehow, just saying that word is too simple in our minds. That’s it? That’s all we have to do. Well if it were that easy wouldn’t I hear his voice all the time? We say, “Well, I asked and he didn’t speak so he must not speak, well, at least not to me.” No. That’s a lie. “Draw near to God and he will draw near to you” (James 4:8).
Ok, I get that the Scripture says he speaks, but why don’t I (myself, me, my person) hear him? Well, let’s go deeper then. Even James had pastoral advice for this. He said, “You ask you do not receive because you ask with the wrong attitude” (paraphrase of James 4:2).
Brothers and sisters, why is it, do you think that Jesus said, to enter the kingdom of God you must be like a little child? What is it the children were doing that Jesus said to the disciples, “Let the children come to me and do not hinder them?” (Matt. 19:14). What is the opposite of not coming? COMING! What is the opposite of hindered? UNHINDERED? THAT should be our heart posture to the Lord.
I picture these little kids running up to Jesus. You know how toddlers are. They will see something, anything, and run to it without thinking. I see it all the time at FCF. Some little child runs over to a stranger and starts touching him or her thinking its perfectly natural. Well Jesus is the God of the universe who died for us. How much more do we need to know before running to him? God did not come so that we would stand far off and gaze at his splendor. He came so that your hearts would be transformed by touching his splendor.
Then I picture the disciples sort of barring the way. Maybe James picks up a toddler and places him back in his mother’s arms with a wag of his head. “He’s not smart enough or gifted enough to speak with the rabbi” he thinks. “Jesus has more important people to talk with and spend time with.”
But Jesus says, “No! I don’t! Let them run UNHINDERED to me. I’m safe. I’m here. I’m not going anywhere.” It’s when we put intellectual walls up. Even walls that say we are not good enough to be near the Lord’s presence that we cannot experience it. We need to tear down that lie. The veil has been ripped. Like David, we can dance before the very presence of God (symbolized in the ark), and not be killed.
We are asking for God to speak but we are not ready to engage in the conversation. When did we lose that childlike sense of touch? When did Jesus lose his humanity, his touchability? NEVER. He will be human forever! Like Thomas we can touch his nail scarred hands. Like children we can come to him, touch him, hear him, UNHINDERED!
Even as I write, the Lord is using this as an object lesson. He told me its late at night and I just have to write as a receive. Usually I write, re-write, write, and re-write. But even now I am unable to. As I am unhindered before him as an instrument—unhindered by my own insecurities of not being a good communicator—he is able to use me. This principle applies across the board.
