Every Christian wants to discern God’s will. “What is my calling in this season?” Or, maybe, something like, “Should I marry Jennifer or Megan?” No matter what questions we have, God has something to say to His children about them. We pray, we do what seems best —but if God actually spoke to us about it, how would we know it was really Him?
It’s a great question, and not an easy one.
My previous article in this series (which can be found here) laid out the primary boundary principle for discernment: if it’s really God, the message will be consistent with the plain meaning of Scripture, as understood through the Church’s historic interpretation. This week, we’ll look at a second essential: the community of faith. The Church doesn’t just shape and prepare us to hear God’s voice; she also helps us confirm whether it’s really Him we’re hearing.
Thomas Missed the Meeting
Thomas (the one tradition called “Doubting Thomas”) shows us that knowing God’s will starts with faith in the resurrected Christ. John 20:24 tells us he wasn’t with the other disciples when the risen Jesus appeared to them on the first Easter. Unless he could see and touch the Lord’s nail-scarred hands, Thomas said, he would not believe. Think about that: the meeting in the upper room held the biggest surprise in human history, and Thomas missed it! We don’t know why he skipped it. Maybe his faith was running low and his discouragement was running high, even before that night. A week later, though, he was there when Jesus appeared again. He’d learned his lesson.
Hang Out with God’s People
If you want to hear from God, hang out with God’s people. Don’t miss the church meeting. Show up early, stay late. The more time you spend among faithful believers, among people who expect to encounter God, the more you’ll encounter Him, too. Their faith builds yours. Over time, their anointing for encountering God gets transferred to you.
Thomas couldn’t have known God’s will for his life until he worshiped the living Christ. That’s where it begins. But it doesn’t end there. Our God is a sending God. He sends us out on mission. So where, and how, is He sending you?
Consider a couple of examples. Thomas went on to preach the gospel in India, and the fruit of that work among an unreached people group persists to this day. Elisha desperately wanted Elijah’s prophetic anointing. How did he get it? He stuck to Elijah so closely — refusing to let him out of his sight — that I imagine he annoyed the old prophet more than once.
My Own Search for a Calling
I became interested in listening to God as a young man, driven by a couple questions: why did He create me, and what did He want to do with my life? Practicing law forever clearly wasn’t it. Once I got quiet in daily devotions, I asked Him to reveal it the way He did to young Samuel: “Speak, Lord, for your servant is listening” (1 Samuel 3:10). I waited many days before hearing anything. Eventually, I wrote in my journal what I believed He was telling me, that He was calling me to lead a congregation, plant churches, and steward a healing ministry.
The church confirmed it informally at first, and then formally. That’s worth noting, because it’s also wise to seek confirmation from mature believers and family before you propose to marry someone like Megan, for example, instead of Jennifer!
The Principle of Hanging Out
Early on I discovered that if you want to learn church planting, you hang out with church planters as much as possible. I did (and probably to the point of annoying planters like Martyn Minns, George Beaven, and Tom Herrick!). It’s the “Principle of Hanging Out.” This same logic applies to hearing God: if you want to learn to listen more clearly and more often, spend time with people known for hearing Him, people pressing in to God in order to learn still more.
A way to do that would be to join our Renew Class on Zoom called “Listening Prayer — An Introduction,” starting Thursday, September 17. I invite you and your friends to join us. See the notice below for more details or to sign up.
Hang Out with God
The most important application of this principle, though, isn’t hanging out with people; it’s hanging out with God! To hear Him, put yourself in a position to do so, in His near-presence. It’s abiding in Christ (John 15), and as it says in Scripture: “Draw near to God, and He will draw near to you” (James 4:8). Yes, God is omnipresent, and you can call on Him anytime, but there’s a real sense in which He’s less likely to draw near unless you go to Him first. After all, He’s the King! God isn’t a cosmic bellhop or a celestial vending machine, dispensing guidance only when it’s convenient for you.
So, just like Thomas, if you don’t hang out with God or with His people, it’s possible you can miss the will of God in your life! But we don’t have to stay where Thomas was. Thomas certainly didn’t; he eventually came around! And we can, too.