Hearing From God

Read: Zechariah 8
“And THE word of the Lord of hosts came to me, saying…” Zechariah 8:1

Examine:
Zechariah heard from God. He knew the voice of His Father and his ministry was built on the words spoken to him by God.

Apply:
There is nothing in my life more important than hearing from God. Of all the time I spend and things I seek my first priority in life must be hearing from God. This sounds simple and seems intuitive but it is not. Hearing from God is not just a right or a privilege; it is a work. I have to allow the Spirit of God to prepare my heart and bring it into alignment; I have to allow my desires to shift from worldly pursuits and center on being directed by God; and I have to adjust the rhythm of my life to spend time sitting with God in silence.

Pray:
It is always good to hear Your voice in my life. Over four years ago, I followed Your prompting and changed the way I journal and seek You in my quiet time. I have been amazed at how You have spoken into my life, changed my heart, and opened up Your word to me. Hardly a day passes that I do not find Your voice shaping my heart and changing my nature. It has been amazing and for the first time in my life I truly awaken with an expectancy of hearing You speak.

I sense the winds of change blowing again in how I meet with You. I devote the first hour of my day to hearing You speak to me about me, but I do not allocate time to pray with You about the direction I need to take with my day. I have replaced Your voice with task lists, plans, and meetings. What this has done is leave me feeling vulnerable because my plans are riddled with uncertainty. I ask You to speak into my life in a new way Father.

Holy Spirit, You are the forgotten God in my life. You were sent as a guide, to instruct, to lead, and to empower. I do not spend time with You. I do not labor in prayer to meet with You. You alone have the power to bring the words of the Father to light. You alone have been given authority in my life to be the personal conduit to the voice of God. I neglect You and I resist You. I have allowed theological debates to confuse me about the simple truth that Jesus promised You as the ultimate helper and said You would come. I acknowledge that You are here with me now and express to You my neediness for You to move in my life.