God wants to talk to you. I know that may come as a surprise. For many, God seems like a distant father, tolerating us but not really interested in our lives. Believe it or not, quite the opposite is true. God wants to be a part of every detail and wants us to know who He really is.
Now here's where it gets tricky. For reasons only He fully understands, God rarely chooses to speak to us in an audible voice. But that doesn't mean He isn’t revealing Himself, and His desires for our lives, all the time. So how do we recognize when He is speaking to us?
In my faith journey, I've come across one very simple way to discover God’s voice. More importantly, I’ve seen the transformational power of sharing this simple method with others around the world, even with persecuted refugees in war zones who are hearing about Jesus for the first time. Maybe it could be transformational for you too.
So what is this simple way to hear God’s voice? It’s actually pretty easy…read your Bible.
Wait! Before you write this off with “been there, tried that", hear me out.
God loves talking to us through His written Word. Let’s be honest, often times we take this one for granted. For many, the Bible is a book filled with rules that we feel guilty about not making a habit of reading more. But the Bible is actually a beautiful narrative of God creating, saving, and interacting with the people He loves. Reading it on a regular basis can give us insight into how He is currently moving and operating in our own lives. Most importantly, it's filled with actual words from His mouth, written down by people who heard His voice.
Reading the Bible to understand God is a great place to start, but it's even better when the words on those pages leap out and begin to speak directly to you in real-time. The Book of Hebrews says that God's Word is living and active (Hebrews 4:12). If you want to experience the Bible in this way, try using this simple prayer: “Holy Spirit, please speak to me through these ancient words today." Now pay attention, because as you are reading there will most likely be a theme or verse that suddenly feels like it comes to life and speaks directly to your heart.
The first time I experienced this, I was overjoyed. It felt like God wanted to talk directly to me. If you sense this happening while you are reading the Bible, stop. Dwell on those words. Read them over again carefully, continuing to ask God to reveal what He has for you. Reading the Bible should never be a race to finish. If all you were able to get through during your daily reading is a paragraph, that's okay. He can speak to you in just a few words. Stay there, because it's a holy moment, worthy of your attention.
We at Pioneering With Passion Ministries (PPM) believe in the simplistic power of the Bible and its ability to connect people to God’s voice so deeply, that our teams risk persecution to bring the Word of God to those who’ve never owned their own copy. Recently, one of our Southeast Asia teams encountered a brand new group of refugees who had fled a civil war back in their home villages. The group was comprised of 85 families and 72 children, of whom some had lost relatives to the fighting. Most had never heard the name of Jesus.
We brought these families survival resources and then spent time sharing the saving truth of the Bible’s message through the stories it contains. We were overwhelmed with excitement when over 95% of refugees raised their hands to receive Jesus as their Savior. With great joy we handed out Bibles to each eager recipient in their native language.
Even brief fear from a loud mortar explosion nearby (the war they fled continues on just a few miles away) could not keep these precious people from embracing the hope they had discovered. One man shared this with us:
“I have a wife and one child. [The fighters] forced me to become a slave for them off and on for 30 years. They mistreated us. They shot one of my relatives and he died in front of me…In my village we are scared that we will have to flee again. Fighting is really close to my village now and we always hear it happening…When I was young, I heard the name of Jesus, but no one taught me about Him like you guys did today. I accepted Jesus today, and my heart is very happy and bright. It is also the first time I received a Bible and I am so happy.”
-Shawen, 56 years old
This is how it begins. We share the character of God and Jesus revealed in the Bible to those we are led to. These truths draw those who hear into relationship with God. Then with the incredible resource of having their own copy of God’s Word, refugees who were once hopeless learn to hear God’s voice for themselves.
Think about the original design of creation. God walked with Adam and Eve in a beautiful garden, talking with them. This is what God has always wanted - with all of us. Because of sin, things changed. That's why the story of Jesus is so powerful, both for us and for the extreme loss refugees we serve. It was God's way of bringing us back to original design and intimacy with Him. God is speaking to us in many different ways, but one of the simplest is through His Word. The Bible is timeless, and the power it contains is alive and active. Take time to see for yourself. Who knows, He may even have something to say to you today!
Interested in providing our teams with relief aid and Bibles so they can reach extreme loss refugees? Click on the the below critical needs to see how you can get involved and become a pioneer.
