Hearing His Voice #306

Anyone who believes in me may come and drink! For the Scriptures declare, “Rivers of living water will flow from his heart.”

John 7:38

Jesus stood up on the last day of the feast, right at the time when a symbolic act of pouring out water normally took place, and declared Himself to be the source of living water. He not only announced the eternal springs available to all who believe in Him, He located those springs in the heart of the believer. The source of life, of God’s truth, of God Himself, would flow from within human beings. If we believe, we can embody the Spirit of God.

This is the primary means of hearing God’s voice, even when we’re reading Scripture, which we can’t understand apart from the Spirit. This internal spring is our access to God’s voice. A river is flowing through those who believe—streams of His thoughts and impressions and desires—and all we need to do is get into the current of that river. That doesn’t mean that every thought, impression, or desire within us is God-given, but many of them are. We simply need to discern the difference.

That’s a pretty big challenge, but not an impossible one. In fact, God would not tell us to rely on His Spirit or listen to His Spirit if He were not going to enable us to do that and teach us how. It’s ludicrous to think of God giving us an astounding, costly gift and then leaving us in the dark as to how to access that gift. He doesn’t give light for us to fumble around in obscurity trying to figure out how to live in it. He gives us remarkable but simple gifts—if we believe Him. And when we believe, the divine voice resonates inside of us, flowing through us with the thoughts and desires of God Himself.

Holy Spirit, flow through me like a rushing river, filling me with dreams and ideas from Your heart. I want more than trickles; I want torrents. Help me discern the difference between my thoughts and Yours, but let me not get stuck trying to analyze them. Give me faith to believe.