All Christians seek guidance from God so that they can walk on the right path in the journey of life, honor God and edify others; to be guided by God, we must listen to His voice. However, only very few people will hear the voice of God. What can most believers do before they can hear what God is saying to them?
Evangelical Christians believe that if a person wants to hear from God, he/she must work hard in reading the Bible and in praying. We need to be like a branch which is connected to the vine in order to obtain the nutrients of life and to produce abundant fruits, therefore it is indisputable that we should read the Bible and pray often (John 15:5-7). No spiritual tradition in the past two thousand years of Christian development could refute the importance of the above two practices. However, there are other ways or methods to deepen these two indispensable disciplines so that we can better discern God’s voice and leadership.
Dr. Mark Batterson, a pastor and author, in “Whisper: How to Hear the Voice of God”, pointed out that pain is a method that God uses to gain our attention. It is important that we feel pain. Imagine if a fire broke out in our home, but in our sleep, we lost the ability to smell the pungent smoke, or did not feel pain from being burnt by fire, we would most likely die from the fire.
In addition to saving life, God also matures a person through the experience of pain. Remember Joseph in the Old Testament (Gen 37-50)? He did not know how to get along with people as a teenager. But this is not uncommon, as families with adolescents can testify. Joseph’s sufferings in his later life for more than ten years made him more compassionate to others and more sensitive to God’s will, thus saving two countries from the fate of destruction.
Nothing can attract our attention like pain. It can break the false idols in our hearts and purify our false motives; pain can also reveal areas in our lives where we need to grow or where God can heal us. Facing the current pandemic, if you are currently in some kind of painful situation, relationship or in a painful mental state, please pray to God to ask Him to show you how to rely on Him. The elders and pastors of the church are also very willing to help you seek God by praying together with you.