“Draw close to God.”
What if I can’t hear God?
Drowning in tears, exhausted, and overwhelmed, I was hanging on by a thread.
I was suffering from my first round of depression, the catalyst being burnout and undealt with forgiveness. Young and naive in my early years of ministry, I thought I could do it all. I wanted to do it all, and I tried to do it all.
With my “push-through” boots strapped tight, I tried maneuvering my “dark night of the soul” season. St. John of the Cross gave us the concept of our soul journeying through a period of darkness from his experience of hardships and difficulty, making him feel as if God was silent.
What do we do in the hardships, in the difficult times when God seems He has left us to the darkness of our circumstances? Is there anything we can do when we cry out to God, but feel He is silent?
In last week’s blog, the first part of this four-part series on hearing God, we learned the importance of our belief that God still does speak to us today. Our actions will demonstrate our belief, especially when in a pit of darkness.
If belief is our first keyword in hearing God, attune is our second keyword.
“Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you” (James 4:8, NRSV).
Attune means making ourselves aware and receptive, positioning ourselves to listen. We press into the promise that when we come close to God, He WILL come close to us. (James 4:8, NLT)
What does “drawing near to God” look like?
While I was strapped in tight with my “push-through” boots, walking through the darkness of depression, the wise words of a woman involved in the ministry I led at the time, came to mind.
Betty had gone through a devastating divorce, and her means of survival was immersed in drawing closer to God. God was the only One she trusted could help her come out on the other side. In my darkness, I recalled her telling me she carried her Bible with her everywhere.
She was willing to lug her physical Bible around with her in the days before smartphones because she wanted the truths of God to be readily available to her whenever a flood of desperation rolled over her.
Betty was attuning her ears to hear; she was drawing herself close to God like a child sitting crisscrossed applesauce, with all eyes and ears tuned into the teacher to listen to the final plot twist during story time.
Drawing close to God and attuning our focus to Him means we have our hearing checked, keep our ear canals clean, hands cuffed around our earlobes, and our whole body leaning in to listen.
Ways we can attune our ears to hear God
- Believing in God despite what we see. When we believe beyond what we see, we act in faith. Our faith pleases God and is a way to move closer to God. (Hebrews 11:1, 6)
- Knowing who God is. When we focus more on the character of God, the enemies’ lies will shrink in comparison. Knowing who we are drawing near to is one way to embrace God’s faithfulness and that He will reciprocate our movement toward Him by drawing near to us. (Ephesians 1:15-17)
- Quieting ourselves to hear God’s voice. We express humility when we quiet our thoughts, emotions, and bodies long enough to rest in knowing God is God and we are not. Humility is an attitude that captures God’s attention and is a way we move closer to God. (Psalm 46:10, James 4:10)
- Hoping with expectation. When we place our hope in God’s ability and the power of His promises, our expectations shift from our ability to God’s ability to change our situation. Hope results in an unexplainable peace from God and draws us closer to Him. (Romans 12:12)
- Asking God for wisdom. – When we ask God for wisdom, He promises to give us wisdom. Wisdom from God for our situation is aligning our thoughts and actions with His, moving us closer to Him. (James 1:5)
- Confessing every fear, feeling, and action that has moved us away from God. Trust is built when we tell God the truth, and our ear canals are cleared. Honesty with God draws us nearer to Him. (Proverbs 11:1, 3, 20)
- Positioning ourselves to hear God through His Word, prayer, and community. When we are in God’s Word, pray, and in community regularly, we create spaces for God to speak to us. Positioning ourselves to hear God is like leaning in with our hands cuffed and will move us closer to Him.
Mix it up if you feel you are in a season where God is silent. Carry your Bible with you always, meditate on God’s faithfulness, or tell God everything; whatever you do, do something to help you lean in and draw closer to God. And know as you move closer to God, you will realize He has already moved closer to you.
I pray that the ears of your heart are attuned to hear, that you lean in, and draw close to God daily. That as you quiet your thoughts and emotions to be still in God’s presence, you will know that God is with you; He is drawing closer to you even now. So be it, in Jesus’ name.
Meditate: God is near me.
Reflect: What truths of God do you need to focus on in your current situation? What does drawing closer to God need to look like for you? Out of the list of ways to attune your ear to hear God better, which one resonates with you most? What would God say is your greatest need in your current situation?
Deeper: James 4:6-10; Romans 8:5, 11-17; Psalm 46; 1 Kings 19:9-13
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(Bible References: NRSV – New Revised Standard Version, NLT – New Living Translation)
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