Hearing His Voice #133

“We have fasted before you!” [the people of Israel] say. “Why aren’t you impressed? We have been very hard on ourselves, and you don’t even notice it!”

Isaiah 58:3

FROM THE HEART OF GOD

“Hearing My voice is not a religious activity, nor is it the result of religious maneuvers and posturing. There are times when I call you to fast, to pray, to discipline yourselves in many ways—but never in order to extract favors from Me. I’m never impressed with your religious activities, only with your heart when you are deeply in love with Me and motivated by that love. If you’re looking for a response from Me, there’s no need to resort to artificial spiritual gymnastics. Soften your heart and relate to Me at a deeply personal, intensely honest and intimate level.

“You need to understand that I did not create you for servitude. Yes, I want you to serve Me, but I want so much more. I have legions upon legions of angels who serve Me, and they do it far more consistently and automatically than you do. What I want from you is a heart-to-heart connection that cannot be had with any other creature. I want to lower Myself and raise you up to the point where we can have mutual, meaningful interaction. You’ll notice in My Word that I have come down further than deity would be expected to come down, and I have exalted you higher than any human would expect to be exalted. Why? Because this is how our hearts can meet. This is where you can hear and respond to what I say, and—as difficult as it is for you to imagine—where I can hear and respond to what you say. I want intimate partners, not groveling slaves.

“Know who you are. Know why I made you and redeemed you. And know what kind of relationship I desire. When you discover that, My words will echo deep in your spirit because it is one with Mine.”

Father, lover of my soul, forgive me for behaving like an attention-seeking child. But my desire really is to relate to You truly, deeply, and closely. Let me. Open my heart to receive all of Yours.