Hearing His Voice #66

I also pray that you will understand the incredible greatness of God’s power for us who believe him.

Ephesians 1:19

When we listen for God’s voice, we generally listen to Him with limited expectations. We don’t mean to; we just don’t know how to open ourselves to anything and everything. We need context, so we create one. But it’s often a narrower context than it ought to be. Like a radio receiver tuned to one station, we rule out all other signals. We place limits on what we think we might hear. And if God speaks outside of those limits, we may miss His message.

Paul’s prayer in Ephesians 1 is meant to raise our expectations. It pleads for wisdom and revelation to enlighten us and convince us of hope. In verse 19, it expands our vision to know a God who can do the impossible through those who believe Him. In effect, it asks God to build a greenhouse in our souls where His word is cultivated and blossoms. When we are convinced that God’s power is available to us through faith, our faith is able to grasp greater possibilities. When we listen for His voice, we pray with more boldness. We look forward to miraculous answers. And we learn to expect the unexpected.

If we would pray Paul’s prayer for ourselves daily, we would not only grow dramatically in our knowledge of God and in our relationship with Him, but we would also hear Him more clearly. The soil of our hearts would be better prepared for the seeds He wants to plant there. Our capacity for envisioning God’s will would expand to accommodate the great things He wants to do. And we would begin to step more fully into the plans He has for us.

God, help me to understand the incredible greatness of Your power—not just in theory but in every way it applies to my life. I want to walk in Your strength. I want my heart to be big enough for Your purposes. Please let me hear all You want to say.