Hearing God Pt. 2
Hearing the voice of God is the divine right of humanity. It is part of what makes us different from the rest of creation. As bearers of the image of God, God made us for relationship with Him. Genesis explains it like this:
And the LORD God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life;
and man became a living soul. (Genesis 2:7, KJV)
If you don’t see it at first glance, look a little closer and you will understand. Rabbis say that when Adam was made a living soul, it was understood that he was given the gift of speech. Being a living soul meant Adam could converse. We can gain even more insight knowing that God gave Adam the gift of communication while he was yet alone; speech was given first to have communication between God and humanity, then between humans.
Genesis shows us that God designed us for two-way communication. God hears us, and we hear God. As soon as God put man in the Garden, He started talking to him. God’s blessings and boundaries were clearly communicated through the voice of God (i.e., the Garden is yours, just don’t eat of this one tree). Man’s role and responsibility (dress and keep the Garden) as well as his identity (your name is Adam) all came from this intimate relationship.
Adam was also tasked with naming the animals. God brought the animals to Adam and listened to the names Adam gave them. But Adam couldn’t find another human; he was all alone. The text implies that Adam expressed his desire for human companionship. God’s voice was heard again.
And the LORD God said, It is not good that the man should be alone;
I will make him an help meet for him. (Genesis 2:18, KJV)
God created the woman and brought her to the man. This also implies that Eve knew God first and heard His voice before she was brought to Adam.
Finally, the voice of the Lord was a daily part of Garden life for Adam and his wife, Eve.
And they heard the voice of the LORD God walking in the garden in the cool of the day:
and Adam and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the LORD God
amongst the trees of the garden. (Genesis 3:8, KJV)
Adam and Eve hid themselves because the sound of God’s voice was a recognizable sound. It had happened many times before.
God asked them questions and held them accountable. Even after consequences were handed down for the disobedience and deception of Adam and Eve, God gave them hope for the future.
The Genesis account gives us many insights about hearing God. Here is a brief summary:
Hearing God is our divine right.
Hearing God should be a daily part of our lives.
The voice of the Lord will speak to us about everything that matters: our identity, our roles and responsibilities, our blessings and boundaries, as well as the most important relationships in our lives.
God’s voice will bring correction when we disobey.
God’s voice will show us the way forward.
This list is just the beginning of the possibilities as you learn to walk with God and hear His voice. Expect to hear His voice speak to you every day.
In the beginning of my prayer life, I thought prayer was me speaking to God. The longer I prayed, however, the more I understood that prayer is listening too. As you seek the face of God today, don’t forget to stop and listen.