Do we know his voice? Some of
us struggle to believe his voice is the one we are hearing. Often we believe
what we’ve heard is just our own thoughts. How can we distinguish his words
from media voices, parental words, Satan’s input, and our own ruminations? A
friend recommended a helpful book, Can You Hear Me? by Brad Jersak.
Jersak, a Canadian pastor, writes
clearly on hearing Jesus’ voice. He talks about the simplicity of listening,
blocks to hearing, and the life of listening prayer. His simple instructions
offer practical guidelines. For example, he describes listening through
biblical stories by starting with picturing the details of a Bible story, after
asking God to bring to mind one that is meaningful to you. After you imagine
the characters and their behavior, he suggests, just in your imagination, to use
your senses of touch, taste, sight, hearing, and smell to immerse yourself in
the narrative. Then, see where Jesus is and what he’s doing. Finally, as you
draw near to him, ask him what truth he wants to speak to you.
Following these instructions
with the Mary and Martha story, I got a clear sense of a personal word. I was
surprised, actually. I’ve often questioned whether I’m listening to his voice,
but the sentence that came to me spoke directly to a current need.
As Jersak points out, this
particular prayer strategy isn’t new, but he communicates it in a way I can grasp.
In addition to this engagement with scripture stories, Jersak teaches other ways
of hearing God. He also talks about intercession, justice, and inner healing,
among other topics. If you, too, are hungry to hear the shepard’s voice, this
book will feed you.
Father, Jesus, Holy Spirit, we want to hear and obey
your voice.