Open the Door to Your Soul to God

Have you ever heard God speaking to you? The way God is trying to speak to you might not be what you expect and it is easy to miss His words. Listen to Elijah’s expereince:

A strong and heavy wind was rending the mountains and crushing rocks before the Lord, but the Lord was not in the wind. After the wind there was an earthquake, but the Lord was not in the earthquake. After the earthquake, there was a fire. But the Lord was not in the fire. After the fire, there was a tiny whispering sound…and Elijah heard the voice of God in that whisper. He spoke to God and found God’s will in that conversation (1 Kings 19: 9-13).

Did Elijah hear God’s voice outside of himself, like Moses hearing God’s voice from a burning bush or did he hear God’s voice from within, from the depths of his own soul where the presence of God dwells as He does in every living thing?  Did he hear God’s voice in his own thoughts, or did he find the voice of God in a voice similar to his own? Does it really matter? That is, the form of communication is it that important? Isn’t hearing the voice of God and knowing that it is the voice of God  the really important thing?

That is what is essential because hearing the voice of God is connecting with His Will here and now. He is speaking to help, guide and bring you closer to Himself.  Have you ever heard Him speaking to you? Looking at the Lord’s Prayer, in this context, it is easy to see how the words “Your kingdom come, Your will be done” (Matthew 6:10 NAB)  may be applied to oneself as: May Your will be done in my life as it is in heaven. If God is speaking to you, and you are listening, are you ready for the next step, to do God’s will in your life?

When you pray the Apostles’ Creed, “I believe in God, the Father Almighty and In His only son, Jesus Christ…”, do you see God as a personal God; that is, as a Divine person who knows and cares for us, who wants what is best for us, and above all who loves us? Perhaps you see God, “the Father almighty, maker of heaven and earth, of all things visible and invisible“ as a God so powerful that He is far from us in His supremacy?

Do you see God as close and personal or is He remote and uninvolved in our lives? Can you perceive Him as both Creator of all that is seen and unseen and as a personal friend, a real Divine person with feelings, sometimes happy, sometimes sad, disappointed, upset, or angry? Can you see God, the Father, as a father who cares for you more than you care for yourself, as a Person who knows and wants what is best for you, even before you were born ?

Can you see God like a Father who wants to guide and protect your life, like a father who knows what is best because He knows and loves you? He created you. He has a plan for you. A unique plan only for you. No one else’s plan is for you and your plan is for nobody else. You are unique and part of His design in this vast universe.

He knows where you are, and where you should be. Do you have enough faith and trust to say, “not my will, but your will be done,” or do you think that you can do better on your own? At the end of  “your will” surely, sooner or later, you will find disappointment, and this will happen  over and over again because you were not created to follow your own will.

At the end of “God’s will” you most certainly will find peace and purpose, an interior joy deep within yourself where it is safe, protected, and undisturbed by exterior events. You will find happiness. Why not open the door of your soul to God and allow His  love to re-do your life? He created us, He loves us in a very personal way. Can we trust Him and subject our will to His in all things?

Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, then I will enter his house and dine with him, and he with me. I will give the victor the right to sit with me on my throne, as I myself first won the victory and sit with my Father on His throne (Revelations 3:20-21, NAB).