Hearing the Voice of God in Jesus

Then God said, ‘Let there be light’; and there was light.”

Genesis 1:3

In yesterday’s Life for Leaders devotion, we were reminded to listen to the voice of God, the voice that called creation into existence. Today, I want to reflect upon how we do this in a distinctively Christian way.

According to John 1:1-3, the voice of God in creation was something more than simply God speaking. The text reads: “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things came into being through him, and without him not one thing came into being.” Thus, the word through which God created all things was not just God’s impersonal voice but rather the very Word of God, the Word that became fully human in Jesus (John 1:14).

Thus, if we want to hear the voice of God, we should pay attention to Jesus. We hear God’s voice in the teachings of Jesus as they are portrayed in the biblical gospels. We hear God’s voice through the actions of Jesus as they demonstrate and dramatize the good news of the kingdom of God. We hear God’s voice as the community of Jesus—instructed by the Scripture that bears witness to Jesus and inspired by the Spirit that empowered Jesus—discerns God’s guidance for today.

As Christians, we can easily fill our lives will all sorts of good things: studying theology, doing justice, creating beauty, leading organizations, raising children, and so forth. Yet, every now and then, in the midst of our busyness, we ought to ask ourselves, “Am I paying attention to Jesus? Am I hearing God’s voice through the Word made flesh?”

QUESTIONS TO CONSIDER:

So, are you? Are you paying attention to Jesus? If so, what helps you to keep your life centered in him? If not, why not? How might you listen to Jesus more attentively today?

PRAYER:

Gracious God, thank you for speaking to us in ways we can understand. Not only have you revealed yourself in actual words, but also you have taken on human form, coming to us in Jesus, the Word made flesh. Thank you!

Help me, God, to listen to Jesus. May I pay close attention to his words and deeds. May I discern the truth that he reveals and embodies. May I be open to how Jesus speaks through Scripture and through the Spirit-inspired community. Speak to me, Lord, so that I might hear, believe, and obey. Amen.