Our connection with Jesus is not about some sort of posture or even a pre-set programme. It is not a performance, or merely a very nice idea. It is our daily quest, our bread to eat, our light for the coming day, our very personal breath of God from heaven. We are aiming to do everything we do, with Him, and that requires connection. That’s what the disciples did! They lived with Jesus. They asked questions when things came up, but there was nothing formal about it. They simply lived their lives with Him. They didn’t need a special interview with the Lord — He was right there! Let’s aim at that!
Jesus went back to heaven, but we know that He did not leave us alone. He sent back the Holy Spirit Who is as close as our breath. Our aim now is to stay connected to Him, even if we feel like a mess. Hmmm…change that to especially when we feel like a mess! However, coming to the Lord without any pretence is never an invitation to stay the same — it is always an invitation for growth. As human beings, we can sometimes suffer from what I call, the Adam and Eve tendency … we like to hide!
So, I urge all of us to talk to the Lord as if He were present in the flesh with us. PS He is! Jesus will not push His way into our lives, but He loves to be included. We can’t even overcome sin on our own, but He has promised to give us His strength, right in the middle of our weaknesses; His directions when we get lost; and an exit when we feel trapped.
Hearing Jesus, first and foremost, consists of knowing what He sounds like — and the very best way to know what He sounds like is to listen to His Words in the bible. Then we put what you read into practice. Take what you read as Him speaking today to you. We need to note the way He talks to other people – His disciples, the people He prayed for, and the people who were in charge. Plus the people their society rejected!
I recommend that people who want to learn how to hear the Lord should read a version of the bible that is easier to comprehend. The Message bible, The Good News, The Living bible, any translation that is in ordinary everyday language. Otherwise we can get hung up on the sometimes inexplicable, very old fashioned style of biblical writing. We need familiarity, so we don’t stumble over the words. By all means still read your favourite older or more complicated versions as you learn His Ways, but learning to hear His voice can be greatly improved by using the simplicity of a modern version of the bible.
When we study His word, let’s remember that Jesus doesn’t ‘do’ ambiguity – although He really does love to tell one parable after another to make a point! Yet everything He says is full of pertinent meaning for each one of us. He wants us to engage with what He is saying, not to passively listen, but to actively ask Him where our reading applies to US. Whether it is about repentance, which involves more than “I’m sorry”- repentance has fruit! Or He showers us with praise which warms our hearts and lifts our spirits.
When we read to get to know Him, we are not looking to prove a point, we are looking to become familiar with the Way He thinks and acts — His Ways aren’t our Ways so we need to learn His Ways. So we know His attitudes toward normal things, and that invades our own daily way of life. Next, if you are reading to hear His voice and what He wants to say to you – it’s good to take note of what He has said to you. How would you apply what you have just read into your own life?
The more we know Him and the way He thinks, the easier it is to talk about Jesus to others. There is no need to ‘set out’ or ‘try’ to talk about Him with others. When Jesus has first place in our lives, it becomes natural. So we will speak easily and naturally about Jesus our Best Friend, like we would tell a happy story about our earthly family and friends, simply because we are as familiar with His thinking as we are with our own.
The next step is to rely upon the Holy Spirit to help us. We don’t have to find our own way, we have a Helper, Who counselled Christ in His earthly walk. He knows Jesus, and He knows us! This is the beauty of walking with the Lord. We have our own Personal Advisor Who can guide us through what we are reading, to the Lord Himself, and His truth. The Holy Spirit is utterly reliable. Our own ideas pale into insignificance beside the treasures the Holy Spirit shares with those who take the time to listen, obey and cherish what He says.
My rule of thumb is this: ‘If it glorifies me, or anybody else other than Jesus, then what I am hearing, is not from Him.’ “But when He, the Spirit of truth, comes, He will guide you into all the truth. He will not speak on His own; He will speak only what He hears, and He will tell you what is yet to come. He will glorify Me because it is from Me that He will receive what He will make known to you.” John 16:13,14.
We can trust the Holy Spirit because He does not have any agendas. He simply lives, and loves, to glorify the Father and the Son. I would advise anyone who wants to hear His Words to them, to do whatever it takes to get connected, and stay connected. Bye. 👋
