Attending to the Voice of God
Scripture — Isaiah 50:5 (NRSV)
The Lord GOD has opened my ear,
and I was not rebellious,
I did not turn backward.
Focus
God speaks to us in different ways. Sometimes God speaks when we are alone and quiet. Sometimes God speaks through Scripture. At other times God speaks through the wisdom of our sisters and brothers in Christ. If we want to hear from God, we need to be ready both to hear and to obey. A posture of willingness readies our hearts to attend to the voice of God.
Devotion
Isaiah 50 begins with God’s word to the prophet. Isaiah responds by saying, “The Lord GOD has opened my ear” (50:5). Of course, this is not literal but metaphorical. It’s saying: “God has helped me to hear the Word of God.”
How I want to have my “ears” opened in this way by the Lord! I am so aware of how easily I can miss God’s voice as God speaks through Scripture, through the whispers of the Spirit, or through the wisdom of my Christian community. Even worse, I can sometimes hear my own “voice” and attribute it to God, which is a form of taking the Lord’s name in vain. I know this is both wrong and foolish. When I fail to hear what the Lord says to me, not only do I dishonor the Lord, but I also end up making choices that lead to hardship and pain. God’s ways are always the best and I want to receive God’s guidance for how I ought to live my life. Moreover, I would like to be a channel of God’s guidance for others.
How can I be more attentive to God’s voice? In part, this comes when I spend extended time with the Lord in quiet and solitude. Of course, there is a risk that in such times I simply hear my own voice and think it is God speaking. But when I quiet my heart I find that I am more attentive to the Lord, not less.
I also hear God speak as I gather with God’s people, where the gifts of the Spirit are active. God speaks through sermons, Bible studies, hymns, songs, and prayers. When my pastor preaches, I say to the Lord, “Help me to hear what you want to say to me today.” Because my pastor is faithful to Scripture and prayerful in applying it to the congregation, I often hear God speak through him.
God also communicates through the wise counsel of a friend or spiritual director. Often, other people can hear on my behalf what I’m not ready to hear. More than once in my life, my friend Tod sensed God leading me to something that I was not yet ready or willing to consider. Moreover, for the past eight years, I’ve had a spiritual director, someone trained to help me attend to what God is saying to me. In our monthly meetings, I am regularly amazed at how a wise, trained listener can allow me to hear what I have missed on my own.
Obedience is key if you want to hear the Lord. Notice what Isaiah says, “The Lord GOD has opened my ear, and I was not rebellious, I did not turn backward” (50:5). The prophet’s intention to respond favorably to the Lord—that is, his commitment not to turn from God’s truth—prepared him to hear what God was saying to him. Our willingness to obey the Lord enables us to hear regularly and accurately what God is saying to us.
So, whether we are in a small group, a worship service, or a team meeting at work, whether we are riding on a busy subway train or walking alone in a forest, if we want to hear from the Lord, we need to offer ourselves to God, ready to hear, ready to obey.
Reflect
Are you open to hearing God’s voice?
In what settings are you more attentive to God?
Is God saying anything to you today? Even right now?
Do you ever hear from the Lord in the context of your work? If so, what helps you to listen well to his voice?
Act
Are you open to hearing God’s voice?
In what settings are you more attentive to God?
Is God saying anything to you today? Even right now?
Do you ever hear from the Lord in the context of your work? If so, what helps you to listen well to his voice?
Pray
Gracious God, when I read this verse from Isaiah, I yearn to hear your voice, to have my ears open to you. You know all the things that get in the way of my paying attention to you: the “noise” that surrounds me and the “voices” that echo inside of me. Of course, sometimes I don’t hear you because I just don’t take the time to listen. And sometimes I don’t listen because, frankly, I don’t want to obey you. Forgive me!
I’m reminded, Lord, of the hymn I sang as a boy. Its words convey the prayer of my heart today:
Open my ears, that I may hear
voices of truth thou sendest clear;
and while the wave notes fall on my ear,
everything false will disappear.
Silently now I wait for thee,
ready, my God, thy will to see.
Open my ears, illumine me, Spirit divine!*
May I be ready to hear you, dear Lord. Speak to me so that I might believe and obey. Amen.
Find all Life for Leaders devotions here. Explore what the Bible has to say about work at the High Calling archive, hosted by the unique website of our partners, the Theology of Work Project. Reflection on today’s Life for Leaders theme can be found here: Does Your Body Language Honor God?.
Mark D. Roberts
Senior Strategist
Dr. Mark D. Roberts is a Senior Strategist for Fuller’s Max De Pree Center for Leadership, where he focuses on the spiritual development and thriving of leaders. He is the principal writer of the daily devotional, Life for Leaders,...