Hearing His Voice #79

The Spirit of God came powerfully upon Saul, and he, too, began to prophesy. When those who knew Saul heard about it, they exclaimed, “What? Is even Saul a prophet?”

1 Samuel 10:10-11

Saul was chosen as the first king of Israel, and God had just given him a new heart (see 1 Samuel 10:9). Yet from what we know of Saul’s life story, he wasn’t a particularly godly king, he didn’t have very pure motives, and he was eventually stripped of his kingdom, which drove him to extreme jealousy and an unstable mind. Even so, there was a time when God’s Spirit enabled him to prophesy. We don’t know what Saul said, but we do know he was hearing God accurately. A very imperfect man was enabled to hear God’s voice clearly.

Many people mistakenly believe that we have to achieve an extreme level of holiness in order to hear God. But hearing Him is more about His sovereign work than it is about our ability to become superspiritual. Of course, those who pursue God and spend significant amounts of time in His presence are likely to hear Him more often and more clearly, but that doesn’t mean we must wait for a certain level of maturity in order to hear. God never demands that we earn our spiritual stripes in order to receive His benefits. The gospel of grace is just that—good news based on grace. If we think we’re disqualified from God’s blessings, we’re probably in exactly the right frame of mind to receive them.

Don’t wait for perfection—or anything remotely resembling it—to listen expectantly for God. And when you sin, don’t assume you’ve prevented Him from speaking anytime soon. He comes to anyone who listens and whose heart is ready to receive and respond. Seek God wherever you are.

Father, thank You for basing Your Kingdom on grace. I earn nothing, yet Jesus qualifies me to receive everything. I need to hear You regardless of my condition, and You know that. Thank You for leading all of Your sheep, including me, by the sound of Your voice.