Hearing His Voice #242

You guide me with your counsel, leading me to a glorious destiny.

Psalm 73:24

Something in us deeply longs to hear God’s voice. Yet, something else in us deeply dreads it. Why? Because many of us hold on to a lingering doubt that we would like what God says. His will is always difficult, our assumptions whisper to us. He only gives us what we need, never what we want, our suspicions say. Full surrender to His purposes will be all cross and no resurrection, says the skeptic within us. We don’t fully trust God’s goodness toward us, wondering if our spiritual diet in this world is meant to be always vegetables and never dessert. We retain something of a split spiritual personality.

Intellectually, we know how false these suspicions are. God is good all the time, and He always wants the best for us. According to today’s verse, as well as many other passages and stories from Scripture, God is leading us into a glorious destiny. Sometimes the path to that destiny is difficult, but sometimes it’s thoroughly enjoyable. That glorious destiny certainly includes the Kingdom of Heaven after we pass from these bodies, but it isn’t limited to that. Though our tendency is to think of our destiny as “there and then” rather than “here and now,” Scripture doesn’t make such clear distinctions. It’s true that life in this world will never go entirely smoothly, and many will suffer unspeakable pain. But God is leading us into His Kingdom glories, and the Kingdom has already come into this world. It is continuously growing. God’s glory can be experienced now.

Don’t assume that God’s will is always hard or painful. It isn’t. It may not always be easy, but we need to cling to the hope that He has glories planned for us. There is nothing to lose in hearing His voice—and everything to gain. His words are always good for those who love Him and are called into His purposes.

Lord, I relinquish any suspicions I have of Your will. Your voice is always music to my soul, and my destiny—now and forever—is glory. Tell me everything I need to know to step into that destiny.