Hearing God
“When the Lord saw that he had gone over to look, God called out to him from the bush, ‘Moses, Moses!'”
Exodus 3:4
I’m a true introvert. Smartphones are the best technological advance, in my opinion. Nothing gives me more anxiety than being in a room with people I don’t know. But now, when faced with situations like that, I can just whip out my phone and pretend to be busy. It’s great! Except there’s a downside: I tend to lean on that crutch in all situations. My phone is out at the store, during breaks at sporting events, even when I’m with my family. The device that relieves anxiety also causes me to be disconnected from the world. And, unfortunately, hinders my ability to hear God.
Moses is an amazing Biblical hero to study. He is just like us, complete with sins and insecurities. He’s also the only person in the Old Testament God spoke with face to face as a man speaks to a friend (Exodus 33:11). To be clear, Moses never saw the actual face of God. He wouldn’t have survived because we know no one can see God and live (Exodus 33:20). I could be wrong, but what I understand from this explanation is that Moses actually heard God’s voice and they engaged in conversations, much like we do with friends.
God doesn’t speak to us like he did Moses, although He could. But He does speak to us. Often.
Do you hear Him?
Exodus 3:1-4 is a great passage to help us understand how to better hear God. Let me paraphrase it for you. Moses is minding his business and keeping watch over his father-in-laws flock of sheep. They didn’t have phones back in the day, so I don’t know how he entertained himself because it sounds like a pretty mundane job. Counting the sheep, watching their movements, looking for predators, and repeat. Moses then sees a bush on fire . . . but not consumed. The bush had flames, but wasn’t being burned! He thought to himself, that’s strange. Let me go investigate. When he moved toward the bush, God spoke to Him.
We can apply three things from this passage in our own lives to hear God.
- Detach distractions.
- Look around.
- Move.
As a whole, we are people who do not like quiet. We must constantly be doing something or engaging our minds in some way. Even when I want to relax, I use a device as a way to do so rather than just sitting and enjoying the quiet. These distractions prevent us from looking around us. If Moses had a phone and was as addicted as some of us are, he wouldn’t have ever seen the burning bush. He probably would’ve lost some sheep, too. If we don’t see the interesting things around us, we won’t move toward them to investigate.
Notice when God spoke to Moses. Not while he was watching his sheep. Not even when he first noticed the bush. It wasn’t until Moses moved to go investigate. I wonder how many burning bushes God placed in my path that I didn’t see and investigate because I was distracted. How many times could I have heard God and been obedient to a task He had in mind for me?
Distractions drown out God’s voice. He is never far from us and wants to guide us. He won’t force it though. He could’ve just shouted at Moses without ever using a burning bush, but He wanted to draw Moses close. He wanted his attention before revealing His plan. If it’s been a while since you’ve heard from God, put this into practice. Lay down your distractions. Be watchful. Move when something catches your attention. Welcome God into your life and your decisions.
Blessings,
From God Not Her