The Bible shows that God always finds a way to introduce Himself to human beings. Starting with Adam and Eve, God not only created them but also visited them in the Garden of Eden in the cool of the day (Genesis 3:8). After the fall, humanity lost connection with God, but that doesn’t mean God lost control. God always wanted to communicate with us. We’ve learned that since the foundation of this world, God already made a way to reconnect with His people through His only begotten Son, Jesus Christ. However, before Jesus walked this earth, we see that God often rested His Spirit on a priest or prophet to talk to His people. So, the Holy Spirit would empower that priest or prophet for specific tasks. At times, He would depart from them when their assignment was over or if they refused to obey the Lord. Nevertheless, after the crucifixion of Jesus Christ, now we all have the privilege to receive the Holy Spirit by accepting Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior. When we confess with our mouth and believe in our hearts that Jesus is Lord, we then have direct access to God regardless of our past mistakes. We also see that in the past, God’s mouthpieces (priests or prophets) had to consecrate themselves and abstain from many things to meet with God. They were set apart and had to remain upright, always abiding in the Lord and ready for His work. While Jesus’ death makes it easier to access God, His death doesn’t cancel the sanctity of His presence. Please allow me to explain this.
God says in His word, “You will seek Me and find Me when you seek Me with all your heart.” Jeremiah 29:13. This also means that to find Him, we have to focus on Him and seek Him with all our hearts. For example, if I scroll social media more than I pray and read my Bible, then I’m not seeking God with all my heart. If my schedule is packed and I only talk to God for a few seconds before bedtime, then I’m not seeking God with all my heart. And if I worry more than I pray, then obviously I’m not seeking God with all my heart, and cannot complain if I have a hard time discerning His will. For instance, if I have a friend who seems careless about our friendship, I wouldn’t tell them something important to me because I already know they won’t pay attention or even care to know what I have to say. Oftentimes, we behave just like that with God. And God won’t say much because He knows we won’t give Him our attention or care to know what He has to say. That’s why God often waits until we become receptive, or He lets us go through some things so we become more attentive. Sometimes, it looks as if God has partiality, meaning He only wants to communicate with this person and not the other. Sometimes we feel some way about God when He gives us a message through someone close to us. It is not because He doesn’t want to communicate with us directly, but there can be many reasons why He doesn’t. At times, we are not receptive or teachable. It can be because of His timing, or simply because God doesn’t want to because He is Sovereign. I remember reading about the Israelites and their journey with God. There was a time when God wanted to talk with them, but they were afraid. They refused the privilege and preferred Moses to speak with them, instead of God. (Exodus 20: 19)
Knowing God’s will is a gift from God. He knows that unless He tells us what’s going on in our lives, we’ll be confused. So, knowing our purpose or what He wants to do through us on this earth is a privilege. One thing I had to come to terms with is that it is not my job to force God to speak to me. My job rather is to incline my heart, posture myself to seek Him, and be consistent about it. And when God is ready, He will speak to me. No one and nothing can prevent God from speaking to me, but I can easily miss God if I’m not in the right position or heart posture.
The same is true when God wants us to learn something or to introduce us to a version of Himself we are not familiar with.
I believe God can give us a heart to know Him better. The Word says, “In the Lord’s hand the king’s heart is a stream of water that He channels toward all who please Him” Proverbs 21:1. This means God has the power to shape our hearts. No wonder we read in Ezekiel 36:26, where God says, “I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you; I will remove from you your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh.” Scripture also says in Jeremiah 24:7, “I will give them a heart to know Me, that I am the Lord. They will be My people, and I will be their God, for they will return to Me with all their heart.” God knows that unless he reveals Himself to us, we cannot know His will.
Scripture also says in Isaiah 32:4 that “The fearful heart will know and understand.” For example, someone who has a hard time knowing who his provider is. Or let’s say someone has a hard time believing God is the One providing what he needs; not by his own strength, God can bless that person with the gift of understanding through some experience. The gift of knowing His will can show up like an interruption, especially when their breakthrough is connected to somebody else’s. We all have the privilege of receiving the Holy Spirit through Jesus. His Spirit enables us to know His will for our lives. Therefore, through Christ, we are reconnected to God, and co-heirs with Christ (Romans 8:17).
When we build a relationship with God and become intimate with Him, He can share His private business with us and guide our steps according to His will.
SCRIPTURES
“Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to Him, and He will make your paths straight.” Proverbs 3:5-6
“Show me your ways, Lord, teach me your paths. Guide me in your truth and teach me, for you are God my Savior, and my hope is in you all day long.” Psalm 25:4-5
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