Hearing His Voice #44

I tried to understand. . . . Then I went into your sanctuary.

Psalm 73:16-17

Asaph was full of questions about the apparent injustices he saw. Why did the wicked prosper? Why were many of God’s most faithful servants suffering? Asaph was focused on the visible and the immediate and needed a bigger, longer view. When he stepped into God’s presence, he got it. He understood what he had not understood before.

Like Anna the prophetess and many others, Asaph discovered the dynamic of worship and how it leads us into new perspectives and opens our ears to God. Those whose hearts align with God’s soon find that their thoughts align with His as well. They begin to hear—perhaps not audibly, but in the depths of their souls. Their points of view get rearranged. Worship prepares the heart to hear.

If our ultimate goal is to hear God’s voice—to get answers and information from Him—we won’t hear very much. But if our ultimate goal is to know Him—not His information, but Him—then the answers eventually flow. Solomon was very wise, but when his heart turned apathetic and even unfaithful toward God, his wisdom was powerless to keep him on track. He lost his understanding because he lost his passion. The king who was blessed in all ways was careless about his worship, and he ended up skeptical and disillusioned.

Do you want to hear God? Then forget about hearing for a while. Focus instead on Him. Stir up your passion. Get into His sanctuary—His presence. Cultivate the relationship simply for the sake of the relationship. Tell Him that’s more important to you than hearing His secrets. Let Him tell you He loves you without pressing Him for details about your future. Enjoy His embrace.

When you desire God more than His answers, He can give both to you freely. You’re past the stage of seeking His voice, hearing it, and then leaving because you got what you wanted. You’ll seek to be satisfied only in Him.

Lord, it’s more important to me to know You than to get information from You. Help me to love You completely.