Hearing His Voice #209

The promise is received by faith. It is given as a free gift.

Romans 4:16

John Wesley was born into a Christian home, knew the Bible well, and had served as a missionary in colonial Georgia. Even so, he wasn’t convinced he had saving faith, and thus, with the help of some Moravian friends, he sought it with all his heart. One morning, he opened his Bible to see 2 Peter 1:4, a promise about participating in the divine nature. And later that day, he opened again to the phrase, “You are not far from the Kingdom of God” (Mark 12:34). In the afternoon, he heard in a church service a hymn with powerful words about redemption. And that evening, he went to a meeting on Aldersgate Street—“quite unwillingly,” he would later write. Yet at that meeting, as Luther’s preface to Romans was being read and Jesus’ ability to change a heart was being explained, Wesley felt his heart “strangely warmed.” He knew at that moment that he did trust in Christ. He understood that Jesus not only saved sinners; He had saved him. The general work of Christ became very personal.

In that highly subjective experience, Wesley found Christ to be his Savior. It was more than a momentary feeling. It changed his life and affected the course of Christianity for generations to come. God had spoken in the depths of Wesley’s heart, and this burned-out, depressed former missionary zealously served God for the rest of his life.

God hounded Wesley’s heart through testimonies of other Christians, Bible verses, hymns, and the fellowship of believers until Wesley was able to respond. That’s often how God speaks—not rudely, but very persistently. When He calls, He doesn’t let the message go until the hearer truly hears. And when that happens, the once-objective information suddenly becomes deeply and warmly personal. It lights a fire in the heart that cannot be quenched.

Lord, I beg You—light a fire in my heart. I would love to be “strangely warmed” by Your presence and Your words. I need to know not just that You love the world but that You love me personally. Hound me until my heart awakens fully to You.