Dallas Willard - Hearing God Through the Year: A 365-Day Devotional

Monday
Living for Gods Words

Man does not live on bread alone but on every
word that comes from the mouth of theL ORD .

Deuteronomy 8:3

P eople are meant to live in an ongoing conversation with God, speaking and being spoken to by him. Gods visits to Adam and Eve in the garden, Enochs walks with God, and the face-to-face conversations between Moses and Jehovah are all commonly regarded as highly exceptional moments in the religious history of humankind.

Aside from their obviously unique historical role, however, these moments are not meant to be exceptional at all. Rather they are examples of the normal human life God intended for us: Gods indwelling his people through personal presence and fellowship. Given who we are by basic nature, we livereally liveonly through Gods regular speaking in our souls and thus by every word that comes from the mouth of the Lord.

Pray: Talk with God about the idea of having ongoing conversation. Tell God what truths you most need to hear from him regularly. Ask God to show you circumstances and places in which this conversation might occur most easily (praying, gardening, exercising or cleaning house).

Tuesday
Where Am I?

The voice of my beloved!
Look, he comes,
leaping upon the mountains,
bounding over the hills.

Song of Solomon 2:8 NRSV

D uring one Sunday dinner we discussed how the pastor felt Gods guidance strongly regarding how the congregation would build a badly needed new sanctuary. He testified that God spoke to him about things that should be done. My wifes grandmother, Mema, seemed deep in thought as we continued to chatter along. Finally she said quietly, I wonder why God never speaks to me like that.

We all knew that Mema had a richly interactive life with God, so her question was not a sign of weak faith or rebellion. Worse yet, we could not explain how we knew when God was speaking. I was caught up in my own experiences of the workings of Gods voice, but I did not understand it. I knew only its reality, and I thoughtlessly assumed this was a functioning, intelligible fact in every believers life.

Understanding that we hear God and how it happens is important so that our confidence that we are fully acceptable to God is not undermined.

Reflect: Where are you in the process of understanding how God speaks to you? If you believe youve heard God in your life, how did you know that? Why might you have discounted times God spoke to you? Ask God for guidance in pondering this.

Wednesday
Helpers on the Journey

So Eli told Samuel, Go and lie down,
and if he calls you, say, Speak,L ORD,
for your servant is listening.

1 Samuel 3:9

I n his book Confessions, Augustine tells how in a distraught condition he heard from a neighboring house a voice, as of boy or girl, I know not, chanting, and oft repeating, Take up and read; Take up and read. He could remember no childs game with these words. In tears, I arose; interpreting it to be no other than a command from God to open the book and read the first chapter I should find. He opened to verses that addressed his exact condition (Romans 13:13-14), which was immediately transformed.

The writings of great Christians of the past such as John Calvin and William Law help us identify experiences of Gods speaking, just as Eli helped Samuel. They assure us that the same Spirit who delivered the Scriptures to holy men of old speaks today in the hearts of those who gather around the written Word to teach and to learn.

Reflect: List people you could talk to about how they hear God in their lives. Dont dismiss those who are quiet but communicate a calm sense of the presence of God. Choose one who would be easiest to talk to and approach that person.

Thursday
God, Our Teacher

Teach me to do your will,
for you are my God.
Let your good spirit lead me
on a level path.

Psalm 143:10 NRSV

H earing God. Some would say thats a presumptuous and even dangerous idea. But should we expect anything else, given the words of Scripture and the heritage of the Christian church? As Christians we stand in a millennia-long tradition of humans who have been addressed by God. The ancient Israelites heard the voice of their God speaking to them out of the midst of fire (Deuteronomy 4:33). A regular place of communion and conversational interchange between the high priest and God was established in the mercy seat over the ark of God (Exodus 25:22; Luke 1:11-21).

But the individual with faith among the Israelites also cried out expectantly to be taught by God (Psalm 143:10). Isaiah, who had firsthand experience of conversing with God (Isaiah 6), described the process this way: Then you shall call, and the L ORD will answer; you shall cry for help, and he will say, Here I am.... The L ORD will guide you continually (Isaiah 58:9, 11 NRSV ).