Jesus is revealed to us as the “Word of God” (Jn 1:1, Rev 19:13). He is the communication of God’s love for us, the “Word Made Flesh” (Jn 1:14).
As Word, Jesus is constantly communicating. Just as He is Love and Truth, and never ceases to be Love and Truth, He also never ceases to be Word.
He reveals God to us through Scripture, through speaking to us in prayer, and through His actions. He even uses silence.
God knows that we can do nothing without Him. We need His wisdom, encouragement, comfort, and correction as we follow Him. And to follow Him, we need to hear His voice.
How can we do that? There are many ways. Here’s one:
Start by setting aside 10 minutes for prayer. Yes, you may have to fight to get it in your schedule. But really…do you want to take on your day without at least trying to hear what God has for you?
Find a private location, mute your phone, and consciously give everything that’s on your mind to God. Then, just as you would speak to a friend, ask Jesus what He wants to say to you.
Pay attention to what goes through your mind. Often God’s voice sounds like our thoughts, but the message is something we never could’ve come up with on our own. And if your to-do list is the first thing that comes to mind, ask Jesus what He wants to say about it. Try listening again.
When we believe we hear the Lord’s voice, there are several ways to confirm it. St. Paul wrote, “Test everything; hold fast to what is good” (1 Thess 5:21).
1. Is it consistent with Scripture and official Church teaching?
2. Does it come with a spirit of love?
3. Ask someone with a strong sense of discernment to confirm it.
4. Test it and look at the fruit. “A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a bad tree bear good fruit” (Mt 7:18). If it is from the Lord, it will bear good fruit.
This Advent and Christmas, let’s welcome the Word, the Christ-child, into our hearts anew.
For more tips on listening, read our blog post “Recognizing the Lord’s Voice”.
Christmas is an ideal time to evangelize.
Praise & Worship on Friday, Dec. 15 will include
a short talk and small group discussion
on the topic of following the Lord’s lead.
7:45-9:15pm in the Parish Center Gym.
All are welcome!
By Christy Whiting, Upper Room Director. This article first appeared in CTK’s Dec. 2017 newsletter, “The Open Door”.
