Normally, I would talk at great length about this, and offer examples and application; but at least for now, just think about it. Think about what this might mean, and if you have any thoughts you'd like to share, just leave a comment.
Sometimes, I feel like we need something like this article [link] to understand our Christian brothers.
Have you ever been in a situation where you just wanted God to speak directly to you? We’ve all been there, I think. We’ve heard about God speaking to people and their lives changing dramatically. From Abraham to Paul, God’s done a lot of talking to His people down here on earth; don’t you wish you could have God speak to you, just once? Doesn’t your heart scream for that burning bush experience where you know that you’re standing on holy ground, and you get your much-needed Q&A session with God?
I know I’ve wished for these things many times in my short life. I’ve wanted answers, guidance, direction, truth…but more often than not, I don’t find them. Didn’t the Bible say “seek and ye shall find?” Obviously, there’s some problem with my seeking, or my interpretation of that phrase is totally off base.
I’ve been seriously considering that I might be called to foreign missions. I grew up as a missionary kid, decided a few years ago I wasn’t going to work for as little money as my dad, and have now come full circle to wanting to be a missionary like my dad. Funny how life works. Anyway, I’ve often been known to dive into a plan head first without really making sure it’s a good, working plan. I was determined that this time would be different; this time, I was going to be sure that what I was going to do with my life was God’s will. I wanted a word from God, a simple yes or no.
I got that word, I think. In January, a speaker at a conference I attended was talking about missions. He was talking about being sure of your calling, and how some people will expect you to be sure of everything. He acted out a conversation between someone who felt called to missions and someone inquiring and causing doubt. It went something like this:
“So, you think you’re called to missions.”
“Yeah, I do.”
“Well, where are you going to go?”
“I don’t know.”
“How are you going to get there?”
“I don’t know.”
“When are you going to do this?”
“I don’t know.”
It went on that way for a few more questions, and ended with the speaker saying that I didn’t have to know these things. All I had to know was that I was going with Christ. That’s all that mattered. That was my confirmation: I was called to missions.
You might wonder how this could be such sure confirmation. It really started a few weeks before the conference, with a conversation I had in the car one day with my mom. It went something like the conversation above. My mom kept asking questions, and I said “I don’t know.” That left me with a lot of doubts about my calling -- until the conference. When the speaker stood on stage and recited exactly the conversation my mom and I had had, I was absolutely stunned.
A few friends who I’d talked about the conversation to actually noticed it too, and thought of me. Not only was it confirmation of my call, but God orchestrated it so as to confirm the confirmation through my friends’ witness. That was a beautiful answer to prayer, and a wonderful dose of much-needed guidance.
So you might think that now I have the formula to hearing from God. I do, but it has little to do with my conference experience. Before I tell you how you can easily hear from God whenever you want, let me tell you another story about someone who heard from God.
Christianity Today recently published an article called “My Conversation with God” about an anonymous professor who reportedly dialogued with the Creator of the universe. Apparently, God told the man to donate the royalties from a book he published to a needy student at his college. Sounds like a great thing to hear from God! Don’t you wish you could get such direct instruction from your Creator? This professor’s life was change by it. He said, “For years I’ve taught that God still speaks, but I couldn’t testify to it personally.” What an amazing experience!
Obviously, if anyone knows how one should go about hearing from God, it should be someone who actually carried on a conversation with Him! Unfortunately, the professor writes, “I can't spin out a fancy theological formula for God's guidance and provision.”
That’s rather disappointing, but fortunately I can spin out a very simple practical formula for God’s guidance and provision. However, I like suspense, so I’m going to tell you about one last article before I reveal to you the profound, earth-shattering answer to this plaguing question.
This last article is by someone you’ve almost certainly heard of before. John Piper wrote recently about the morning he heard the voice of God. This is the article where I discovered the amazing method to hear the voice of God, guaranteed!
Pastor John tells about how one morning, he woke up when no one else was up, and while praying and thinking heard God speak several things directly to him. God said to John Piper, “Come and see what I have done. I am awesome in my deeds toward the children of man. I turned the sea into dry land; they passed through the river on foot. There did they rejoice in me -- who rules by my might forever. I keep watch on the nations -- let not the rebellious exalt themselves.” While hearing these things, Reverend Piper had amazing visions of the awesome works of God, and felt deeply the instructions of the Lord.
Then, he revealed the secret to how we all can hear from God the same way he did. It’s so beautifully simple, so obvious, and yet so few Christians seem to know about it. Are you ready to hear it?
The most reliable way to hear from God is by reading the Bible. Those things John Piper heard? They were straight out of Psalm 166! They weren’t some unexplainable force from deep within John Piper’s being -- they were words that were written thousands of years ago in a completely different setting. Yet John Piper, because God has put the Holy Spirit in him, can read those words and glorify God with shear amazement and joy.
Now maybe you’re thinking, “What’s his secret? How come he has these profound Scripture experiences and I just see words on a page? How can I feel the way John Piper feels?” It probably has something to do with the way he reads the Bible, and I don’t mean some textbook method. I mean the intent, the attitude that he takes when he picks up God’s Word.
See, the reason we don’t get much out of the Bible sometimes isn’t because the Scripture is inadequate -- its because our hearts are inadequate. Times when I’ve gone to Scripture with shallow intents and small expectations, I’ve gotten very, very little out of it. It’s times when I come to Scripture broken, open, and falling humbly at the feet of the Word that I truly receive messages from God.
The answer to this, of course, is the answer to all our problems on this earth: repent and believe. I have to repent of my small faith and small heart, of my callousness towards God, and of my apathy towards His Word. I must repent of my selfish approach to the Scripture, and of my pride that keeps me from understanding. I must repent of my efforts to understand God’s Word while my eyes are shut against His Gospel. I must believe that there is power in His Word, as He’s said there is, and that He really can and really does speak to me through it. The rest, God will do.
Still want to hear from God? Repent, believe, and read.
Does anybody actually read this blog anymore? I noticed the last entry got zero comments.
If you do read this blog, and like this blog, let me know. I like comments.
I recently acquired employment at a Chik-Fil-A near my house where I’ve since been cooking incredible quantities of french fries. In meeting new people and learning new skills, things have been a bit crazy, and moments for really getting to know my fellow workers have been few. I’ve had a great deal of fun getting to practice my Spanish while conversing with the numerous Hispanic members of the kitchen staff. One conversation went something like this:
Santiago: “¿Como te llamas?”
Caleb: “Me llamo Caleb.”
S: “¿Eres Cristiano?”
C: “Si.”
S: “¿Qué tipo? Bautista, Mormón…”
C: Presbyteriano. Es como Bautista.”
S: “¿Usted ama Jehova?”
C: “¡Absolutamente!”
S: “Eso es bueno. Yo soy un Cristiano. ¡Soy un Cristiano Mexicano!”
It really seemed kind of funny at first, because the exchange was so to-the-point. Perhaps you didn’t understand that. Here’s the English version of the conversation:
James: “What’s your name?”
Caleb: “My name’s Caleb.”
J: “Are you a Christian?”
C: “Yeah.”
J: “What kind? Baptist, Mormon…”
C: “Presbyterian. It’s kind of like Baptist.”
J: “Do you love God?”
C: “Absolutely!”
J: “That’s good. I’m a Christian. I’m a Mexican Christian!”
It was a very blunt little moment with no beating around the proverbial bush. It was actually quite refreshing to have that experience right in the middle of the work day, and Santiago and I became friends quickly, talking about life and singing songs we both remembered from church in Mexico.
Another good friend of mine has had similar conversations before. Once, he walked up to a cashier at the mall and simply asked, “Do you know Jesus?” The girl replied that she did, but hadn’t been to church in a long time. It led to a conversation about church and fellowship, and she decided she should get back into church. It took just four words (two, in Spanish!) to open a door into someone else’s life that made a significant difference.
There are nearly infinite opportunities everyday. It seems cliché and a bit dull to discuss these possibilities, but having experienced people stepping out on a limb to get to know me (and, from their perspective, possibly help me find true life), I think it really is important to take some of those opportunities.
The story of the woman at the well in John 4 comes to mind. The woman there was a Samaritan, an adulteress, and an outcast even in her own society, not to mention the fact that she was a woman. Yet Jesus chose to talk to her, and offer her salvation. Jesus models for us this principle of using every opportunity to further the kingdom and reach out to others. That Jesus would reach out to this outcast of society, with no initial interest on her part, is amazing.
It’s kind of like how we’re saved, too. If God didn’t choose to approach us and share the truth with us, our lives would be meaningless and worthless. Praise God that He chose to condescend to us, and to redeem for Himself a people! If God, in His glory, has reached out to you in your lowly estate, how can you refuse to reach out to those around you, who are truly no lower than you yourself?
The standard answer is, “I’m okay. How are you?” Most people offer this answer automatically, without thought. I know I do that. Asking how someone is has become a simple formality of greeting -- a segue into conversation rather than an expression of caring for someone’s wellbeing.
If you don’t believe me, try this: walk up to someone and say, “Hi, how are you?” Then, when they say, “I’m fine. How are you?” say, “I’m terrible.” Odds are, they won’t know how to respond. They weren’t looking for a true answer to what they asked, they were just looking for a pleasant conversation -- most likely a conversation about nothing remotely important.
Perhaps we should come up with a new form of greeting that’s more accurate. Perhaps every time we’re asked how we are, we should say, “I’m a terrible sinner deserving of hell, but God is good and I’m alive through His grace.” Wouldn’t that be strange? I think, though, that after no more than two or three days of giving this response, we wouldn’t think about it anymore. It would become no more meaningful than the answers we give now.
I think the real solution is to stop living a scripted life. Stop giving the expected answers, start thinking, and start being true and real. This is obviously much broader in application than the art of greetings. It goes far beyond not saying you’re fine when you’re not fine. It means taking off the shell you’ve formed and letting people see the messy, sticky insides of your life.
This, too, can become a scripted solution. It can become a 10-step guide to being real, which would defeat the purpose. The taking off of the shell can’t be a one-time deal, nor can it be a one-size-fits-all deal. It has to be a daily ordeal, a continuous struggle towards purpose.
So if we’re honest about it, how are we? How should we be? Are we who we should be? I dare you to actually think about those questions instead of just reading them. If you’re like me, they just passed through your eyes, into your brain, and dissolved into the vast emptiness of thought. When you figure out the answers, ask yourself both “why?” and “how?”
The pastor of a local church I attended a few times used an illustration of how a Christian ought to be. He said that his young daughter, when she was told how Jesus would come and live in her when she was born again, said something both funny and profound. She said, “But Jesus wouldn’t fit in me -- He’d stick out all over!” So let’s ask ourselves a question: if we claim to have Christ in us, why doesn’t He stick out all over?
The truth of the matter is, the Gospel doesn’t fit the pattern of your life. If you were worshipping the God of the universe every day, and really believed that you are saved by His amazing grace, your day would be going much better than it is. I don’t care how good your day has been; it would be better if you let the Gospel blow apart the pattern in your life.
If you look at the life of Jesus, He never gave scripted answers to things. The Pharisees and scribes frequently asked Him questions that, to them, had definite and specific answers. What did Jesus do? He offered a fresh perspective, still in line with revealed Scripture yet unheard of among the religious leaders of the time. I think settling for the traditional answer or the normal answer kills our passion and our ability to engage life properly.
So I suppose it all boils down to one major point. Is God’s grace real to you today? Martin Luther made the point once that we aren’t imaginary sinners. Our sins are real, they’re terrible -- and God’s grace has to be more real to us than that sin. If we’re imaginary sinners, we won’t experience grace. If we’re real sionners -- bold sinners -- then God’s grace to us will be real and bold. So quit living an imaginary life, stop sinning imaginary sins, stop answering imaginary answers, and be real.
I'd like to try a slightly different style for this entry. I'm going to tell you a story that came to me today. I highly recommend that you consider the meaning of the story for yourself before reading past the dotted line.
Once, three men went diving in the ocean. It's not really important why they were there, but it is important that they didn't realize that a storm was coming. When the storm hit, they became disoriented and couldn't get back to their boat. Their boat driver, realizing the peril of his customers, radioed the coast guard for help.
In flew a helicopter to search for the lost divers, and to rescue them if possible. After finally locating the tired, freezing, and nearly drowning divers, the helicopter dropped a rope. The first diver grapped on and tried to pull himself up. He made it halfway up the rope before finding that he lacked the strength to reach the helicopter. He fell back into the waves and drowned.
The second man, seeing that the rescue attempt would clearly not work, decided to swim to shore himself, and disregard the coast guard team. He saw no value in contined attempts at rescue by helicopter; he saw that it would never work. His body washed up on the beach a few days later.
The third and last diver, in despair, tried only to keep afloat. The pilot of the helicopter knew that the man couldn't climb the rope himself, so he sent a crew member down the rope with a harness. The rescuer helped the diver into the harness, and both were raised into the helicopter -- into safety.
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The meaning of this story is really not terribly complicated. The diving trip represents life, and the storm represents sin. The three divers represent three responses to life and sin. The first man tried to climb his way to safety without the help of the rescuer, and he died. The second man gave up on rescue, and he died as well. The third man realized he had no hope apart from his rescuer, and he waited and believed that this rescuer would find a way to save him from his impending doom.
How like our own lives! When the storms of sin come our way, how do we react? Do we rely on our own strength to resist temptation, and to do the "right thing" and please God? Or do we simply give up on God when it gets rough, and try to forge our own path through life?
The way we ought to react is as the third man. He didn't trust himself, knowing he was too weak to save himself; he didn't give up on his rescuer, because he saw that it was his only hope, and that without hope he might as well drown; instead, he waited for his savior to come and pull him out of the water, from which he was helpless to lift himself.
Do you react that way? When you're in a storm, do you wait on your Savior? Do you trust Him and depend on Him as your only hope? Indeed, Christ is our only hope for salvation. Praise God!
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