They Ran: He Pursued
“Hearing God is not all that difficult. If we know the Lord, we have already heard His voice—after all it was the inner leading that brought us to Him in the first place...”
A few years ago, I stumbled upon the power of beginning each new year with 21 days of prayer and fasting. I say “stumbled,” but I believe it was more like God deliberately placing a treasure a few steps ahead of me where He would be certain I would find it. Inside of this metaphorical treasure chest was the concept of a theme for the year. Sometimes it is a word that God whispers to me that defines my year—a thread that I can see (often in retrospect) woven in the fabric of my everyday life. Other times it is a truth to be explored, like a journey. A few years ago, I felt that my new year needed to focus on learning to hear the voice of God. I had been a Christian for many years, but I had this overwhelming desire for authenticity and intimacy. I wanted to dive deep and drown willingly. I wanted to immediately know the difference between God’s voice, my desires, the world’s whispers, and the enemy’s paltering. So I started scouring the Bible, pouring over books, and listening to speakers who shared truths about recognizing the voice of God. But more importantly, I stopped incessantly talking and started intently listening. This simple practice was the catalyst for transformation.
One of the first questions I asked the Holy Spirit as I was reflecting upon hearing God’s voice was “Can everyone hear God’s voice? Does God talk to people who aren’t His children?” I was familiar with scriptures like “My sheep hear my voice,” or “the god of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelievers to keep them from seeing the light of the gospel.” If only His sheep can hear His voice and if only the believers who walk in the light can experience the truth of God, then I know many people whom I care about who are doomed!
Then I was reminded that there was a time when I wasn’t one of His sheep, and I too was blind, groping in darkness. Spiritual truths didn’t make sense to me because my spirit had never experienced what Jesus explained to Nicodemus as being “born again.” But I heard the voice of God. As a matter of fact, I never remember a time when I didn’t hear the voice of God. I heard Him in church. I heard him through ancient hymns and new melodies. I heard him in my bedroom when I would lie awake wondering why I felt so different and out of place. I heard Him in solitude and in the middle of a huge crowd. His voice was always calling, always speaking to me so kindly—like one person speaks to a close friend. There is never a time when God isn’t speaking. His heart seeks relationship with His children—His image bearers. It was His plan from the very beginning.
In Genesis, He placed His children in a Garden and under the canopy of lush green leaves and beautiful blue skies, God walked with Adam and Eve. It was the first tabernacle—the place where God met man and woman face-to-face, intimately. He would talk; they would listen. They would talk; He would listen. A perfect plan—until sin wrecked it all. The Serpent lied; the woman believed him; and fellowship with God was never the same. But do you want to know how I know that God speaks to people even when they don’t give Him a second thought? It’s in Genesis 3. Adam and Eve disobeyed the one thing that God commanded them not to do and ate of the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil. They ran. God pursued. From that moment on, He never stopped pursuing His children, devising a plan for our hearts and souls to be reconciled. The Bible is the story of God pursuing humanity—even when we didn’t want to be pursued.
If you are reading this right now, you may be in one of two situations:
You don’t have an intimate relationship with the Creator of the Universe—you may even question if Christianity is real or just some social construct designed to provide answers for unanswerable questions. And if there is a possibility that this whole thing is real, would God even bother to talk to you with your cynicism and doubts?
Or
You know someone close to you who doesn’t know Jesus or used to know Jesus but is now in the process of “rethinking” or “deconstructing” their faith and beliefs. They have walked away from Jesus and the truth of the Bible, and you are afraid that God has stopped speaking to them.
If either one of these scenarios describes your life right now, let me talk to you heart to heart. God has not stopped speaking to you, and God has not stopped speaking to your loved one. How do I know? Because it is in God’s character to speak to His children. John says, “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. All things came to be through Him, and without Him nothing made had being” (John 1:1-3). Now follow me back to the beginning of recorded time. What do we see God doing? “In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth” (Genesis 1:1). And how did He create it? The Word Spoke. And when He spoke; things happened. Worlds were created; chaos fell into order; light overcame darkness...and it was good.
Not convinced? Let me tell you a story within a story. Jesus loved to spend time with people that the “church” world considered undesirable. This group found Jesus compelling, even welcoming. He didn’t glare at them or make them feel less than human, but He always spoke truth. The truth didn’t repel them; it convinced them because it was enveloped in love. But that’s for another day and another blog post. In Luke 15, he was hanging out and talking to a group defined as “tax collectors and sinners.” The Message Bible says “a lot of men and women of questionable reputation were hanging around Jesus, listening intently.” This made the religious people uncomfortable, and they started complaining, “He takes in sinners and eats meals with them, treating them like old friends.” Now comes the story within the story. Jesus knows what these guys are thinking. It is the same question I posed at the beginning of this blog. How can God talk to people who are so “not-like-God"?
Jesus tells a story about a shepherd who had 100 sheep. He loved these sheep and took great care of them. When he noticed one was missing, he didn’t say, “Oh, well! I have plenty more! It’s the sheep’s fault that it got itself lost! I think I’ll teach it a lesson and just let it be eaten by wolves or fall into a ditch somewhere and die!” He didn’t say any of those things. This shepherd left the 99 and pursued the one. Did you get that? God is always pursuing His children. He is speaking. His is moving. He is working.
This is my challenge to you: Ask God to speak and help you to hear. It’s a simple request, but all you need is the faith the size of a tiny mustard seed. If you can find it in your heart to pray it, then you’ve got the faith to hear Him.
My second challenge: If someone you love is running from God, then pray that He plants Himself right in their path.... somewhere between the Road to Damascus and the Street called Straight (Acts 9).
Let me end with something for you to think about. It is true that God never stops speaking, and He speaks to those who are not yet His children. But what would you say if I told you there are profound realities, deepest mysteries, thoughts and secrets that God wants to share with those who walk in relationship with Him? (I Corinthians 2:9-16) We can only experience the heart of God within the circle of His presence. Hope you join me inside the circle. Until next time.
