The Hearing God Podcast
Anthony Moore and Dan Lamos have met for coffee every week for over a decade. You're invited to listen in on their conversation on The Hearing God Podcast. Explore the prophetic, mystical, and heart-centered aspects of a life filled with the Holy Spirit. Each episode offers insights, inspiration, and practical wisdom to deepen your spiritual journey. Tune in for authentic and encouraging conversations that will enrich and empower your walk with God.
The Hearing God Podcast
Staying Grounded When Heaven Feels Quiet
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When heaven feels quiet, most of us assume we’ve failed. We flip through the usual dials—prayer, worship, Scripture—and panic when nothing lights up. Today we invite you to a different lens: what if silence isn’t a verdict but an invitation to secure attachment, deeper honesty, and wider ways of hearing God?
We open up about our own dry seasons and why “Hearing God” doesn’t make us experts—just lifelong students. From slow, unhurried lectio divina to raw journaling that cuts past polite prayer, we share practical rhythms that re-tune attention without slipping into striving. We explore how God speaks across channels—still small voice, dreams, impressions, wise counsel, and the living Word—and why pigeonholing His voice into last season’s method can keep you stuck. You’ll hear how reframing the question from “What’s wrong with me?” to “Where am I in pain, or what room have I closed?” trades shame for healing and opens fresh conversation with the Spirit.
Welcome to the Hearing God Podcast. I'm Anthony Moore. And I'm Dan Lamus. For over a decade, Anthony and I have been diving deep into weekly conversations about the prophetic, the mystical, and the matters of the heart.
SPEAKER_03:And we invite you into these weekly conversations. We hope you feel like an honored guest at our table.
SPEAKER_01:So pull up a chair, settle in, and let's get started. Well, here we are.
SPEAKER_03:Here we are. Here we are once again. Here we are once again. Yeah. How's it? How's it going, Dan?
SPEAKER_01:It's going good, I think.
SPEAKER_03:I'm about in the same boat.
SPEAKER_01:I know it's weird. Yeah. You know, um, no, it's uh life is uh it's it's the fall. Yep. And so best time of the year. Yep. I love it. Uh lots going on. And you know, the uh just kind of getting used to maybe some new normals, that kind of thing. Yeah. Um, but in general, I I feel like I'm doing okay. Um I'm grateful that uh God uh that Jesus being the same yesterday, today, and forever doesn't depend on my moods. Yeah. I'm really glad for that. Um so I'm wrestling somewhat with my moods coming into the fall. I really I like the summer. I do like the fall, but um I really do like the summer. Summer. Summer's your favorite.
SPEAKER_03:Yeah, yeah. Yeah, these days right now, like in sort of like mid-late September to mid-late October are really some of the best days for me. And I can't tell you why. It really has to do with the sort of the coolness that's creeping into the now when you get towards sort of like the towards late October, early November, it starts to get cold. Right. But the cool, the coolness of some of the mornings and evenings, I really, really like. Yeah. And I like fires as well. Oh yeah. I'm sure I've said it before, but I think the one of the greatest things I did this summer was actually get a fire pit. And uh one of those portable, yeah, one of the most portable fire pits. And uh I've been really been really, really, really been enjoying that.
SPEAKER_01:So yeah, yeah, I do too. I like that. We've got we've got uh wood and brush in our backyard that we've got to have to have some some fires here the next little while. There you go.
SPEAKER_03:Yeah, yeah, man. Well, this is the Hearing God podcast. So uh we should talk about all things hearing God. Um I I you know we were talking a little bit before, and I think it would be um helpful uh to listeners and a really encouraging um to listeners if we crack open something that um is a little bit different, but very connected. Um it's uh because again, like we were just talking about how um people, you know, at our church would know us and have certain expectations of us. Yeah. Um, but it's this topic of you know what to do when it doesn't feel like God is speaking, right? What to do when it doesn't feel like the the Lord is, or or you it's been a while since you've had maybe a powerful moment with with God where it felt like he spoke clearly, and and even maybe just unpacking a little bit, like how how that is. Like we've talked a little bit about um, you know, when we hear, we quote unquote hear God, that's not the audible voice of God. Because quite frankly, I'm pretty sure I've never heard the audible voice of God. Right. And oh yeah, yeah, we talk about we have this podcast called Hearing God. I know, you know, it's really weird.
SPEAKER_01:Uh it's intriguing. Yeah, yeah. Well, I I just it is intriguing because I'm sure that hundreds of times, probably, probably thousands of times over my lifetime, I'm sure I've heard God, but I don't think I've ever heard his audible voice. Right, right. So it is interesting how how in life we can just become comfortable with just knowing we've we've heard things, we've received communication, yeah, information from people and from God, and yet a lot of that isn't actually auditory. Auditory, like which interesting communication, a lot of it is body language and I was just different things.
SPEAKER_03:It just it just hit me that like Jesus sets it up that way as well, and he doesn't necessarily clear it up. I don't know, maybe I'm wrong, but uh just immediately thinking in the last five seconds thinking through it, like is he he does say my sheep know my voice. I think that's like John 10, I think something like that. Right. Um, he does say, My sheep know my voice. So he does give you uh he does lead you in that direction of sort of this auditory experience, even though I guess I would say I never got caught up, like I never was just like, I must hear the audible voice of God.
SPEAKER_01:Yeah, yeah. Yeah. Well, you know, I've I've like in my home growing up, and then in our in Lindis and in my family, we we've had we've had pets over the years. I've never been a farmer or lived on a farm, but we've had animals like domestic pets. And um their their way of of hearing you, knowing your voice isn't just what they hear. Yeah, like they might they they read your body language a lot, yeah, keeping their eye on you a lot. Oh, you know what? You know, like it's interesting how how when Jesus like I love the phrase, my sheep know my voice. Well, I'm sure that sheep relate to whoever their shepherd is in ways beyond just hearing that they're yeah.
SPEAKER_03:I there's a there's this like a there's a viral, sort of semi-viral clip that's I've seen a couple times, and I just saw it recently, where there's actually a bunch of there's there's a shepherd uh and he's standing behind a fence, and the sh the sheep are sort of like grazing off into the on like maybe let's say 30 to 50 feet away. Right. And you know, there's a few people that are standing by the fence and they're like, the shepherd's like, well, try calling them. Yes, I think I'm seeing this. And they're trying to call, they're just you know, yeah, you know, doing the calls, and they're not, they're not not even budging. Yeah, and then the shepherd comes, and as soon as he opens his mouth, they all perk up. Yep, right. And then in a in a few minutes, they all sort start to come running. Yeah, and that hits me every time because I'm thinking, I'm thinking, yeah, yeah, yeah. I'm that, right? I'm that sheep. Totally.
SPEAKER_01:Sorry to sort of sidetrack, but I thought it was just because I wanted to mention that, but I also wanted to just also say here we are doing the Hearing God podcast. Um, no one should assume that is because we're experts. Right. Yeah. It's far more because we're very interested and invested in a really pretty close to a lifetime of appreciating, wanting to hear God, uh, what figuring out what that's like, yeah, tracking our own progress and that, sharing with each other for a decade now weekly about it. Um so we're doing the Hearing God podcast because we love it. Yes. Not because we perceive ourselves to be experts. Yes. And maybe that's the closest, hey, maybe that's the closest anyone in this earthly life gets to being an expert in hearing God is you just love it a lot. Yeah. And maybe, maybe that's the you know what I think I maybe that's expertise.
SPEAKER_03:You know what I think I'm an expert at? Uh uh either uh convincing myself not to give up or uh encouraging other people to not give up. Right. That's I think if I'm personally if I'm an expert, I would say that would be the thing that I might do the most. Yeah. Right? Like I might like get in these conversations with people and I just encourage people to keep going. Yeah. Just keep going. Yeah. Nobody's an expert, which I I believe a hundred percent to be true. Yeah.
SPEAKER_01:But um, but I find that, yeah, you know, I guess and we're pastors, yeah, which people can also say, well, then you're experts.
SPEAKER_03:Right. Like, no, wait a second. We have this, yeah. Let's bur let's burst the bubble maybe this morning.
SPEAKER_01:Yeah, no, we we we're giving our lives and by the grace of God, as we're called to in scripture, yeah, laying down our lives for the sake of the calling God has put on our life. Yeah, we wouldn't say we are we have the title pastor because we're experts. Right.
SPEAKER_03:We didn't come pre-qualified with a certification, invisible certification from the Lord, you now qualify as, you know, whatever, uh leaders, prophets, prophetic voices in the house to, you know, there's no we don't have a plaque on our wall. Right, yeah, right.
SPEAKER_01:It's like the call of Jesus comes with will you keep on pursuing me and not give up. Yeah. If you will give your heart to that, I it's like Jesus is promising, I am gonna stay with you in that and keep leading you forward. Yeah, and I'm gonna glorify myself through you. So, so just along that line of how what people may know of us, whether they're part of our our church or they might know us. And so you're listening to this podcast thinking, you know, uh I know these guys, or maybe you're just a little bit familiar with us. What are they gonna bring to the table kind of thing? Yeah, there are expectations, and I think it'd be really fun to kick it around to um to talk a little bit about how this works for us.
SPEAKER_03:Like what Yeah, for sure. For sure. And especially in the especially in the areas of okay, what happens in seasons of your life or my life when when it doesn't feel like God's talking? Right? Like how to because I think what happens is that people can put um maybe unnecessarily unnecessary unnecessary expectations on themselves. Uh, and they, you know, lots of people know the sort of the thrill or you know, the excitement that comes from you know having a moment with the Lord where it's very clear that He's speaking to you, right? Whether that's whether that's a dream, whether that's reading scripture, whether that's a prophetic word from somebody, some something like that. Right. They have these, they can go through, especially early on uh in a believer's life, but sooner or later there will come times in your life, and this is this is part of growing up. And this is actually part of you know the maturing process where where it seems as though God will withdraw himself to a place where he's either a a little bit more silent, um, or a little bit, or he's just you know, uh either hard to find, maybe he's switching up how he's talking to you. Right. But it at some level, um, he will be, you know, he's he's present, he's not going anywhere by we know that by the word, right? Right. I'll never leave you and forsake you, you know, you know, all of those, all of those scripture verses.
SPEAKER_01:But the 139, where can I go from your presence?
SPEAKER_03:Yeah, we never we're never separated from God, right? But it it feels as it can feel, I want to say like it could even feel like that. Yes, yeah, because of the sort of quote unquote perceived silence of God. Right. And and and it comes with a bunch of things like you know, legitimately thoughts creep in, like, what did I do? You know, again, like that's that's real for people, and it can be discouraging for people, especially when it matters deeply that we hear God. Right. Right. So it's like it can hit people, yeah, you know, uh all sorts of ways. And I've had plenty of conversations about you know, missing it or uh God doesn't, it doesn't seem like God's talking. What do I do? And I just I kind of you know, I I think uh if if everybody, you know, the more I hear that people uh have struggled with or are wrestling through some element of hearing God, one of the like the first thing out of my mouth was like, welcome to the club. Yeah, right, yeah. You know, right. I just think welcome to the like this is the journey that we're on. And and you know, so so I guess it's like how do you so maybe talk about Dan? Just I'll kick it over to you. Maybe talk a little bit about like what what are you don't necessarily have to be specific about like times in your life, but I wonder if there's like wisdom that you could give people uh and feel free to include specifics. Um what can you help like what's some helpful wisdom when it comes to helping people through navigate seasons where it feels like God's God's a little silent. Right.
SPEAKER_01:Oh man, oh that's great. I think where I think where I would like to just jump in is um is where everything starts is is remembering, we've already already kind of touched on it, but just remembering God's knowledge of you is complete. Like God knows us completely. Yes, He loves us. Um we know that according to scripture that we we we don't just live off of like bread we eat, physical bread, physical food, but we're actually um live off of the word of God, you know, the the the written word, but also uh the revealed like Rhema word. Logos, logos and the rhema. Yeah, yeah. Like so God speaking, we we live off of what of what he says and off of his voice. So he's faithful to keep bringing that. Okay, so that is kind of a backdrop that he knows us, loves us, wants us to know him, right? And so I guess probably where I would jump in is um that that God knows it's for our strengthening and our maturing to to partner with him in the communication process. So whenever I whenever I feel like God's not speaking, I do I do turn to how much am I investing in the process, really? Yeah. Uh because oftentimes it's what I feel like might be random actually isn't. Like, for instance, I might, I might, uh, because I'm a pastor, I'm a I I'm around scripture a lot. Right. Uh use scripture and comforting people uh in teaching times, all that. I can be using scripture and reading the Bible publicly to people, um, hosting worship services, all that kind of stuff, and yet not really taking it in for myself. Right. So I might, in a season where I feel like God isn't saying much, it might be as simple as actually grabbing my Bible and reading for the purpose of God, what do you want me to hear and know? Yeah. Instead of preparing for something. Like I'm not reading in order to fulfill a requirement. I'm not reading uh, you know, to teach somebody something. I'm reading just because I want to hear God. Yep. Um, and what's that practice? Uh that uh lectio demeanor, like reading scripture and even reading a short passage of scripture or a psalm, reading it repeatedly for the sake of letting it really interact with you. Uh so that's an example of wow, I I so many times over my life, it sounds very simple, but it happens that I'm not hearing God, God seems silent, and then I'll take a simple practice like grabbing my my Bible, reading a psalm, or reading part of the Gospel of John, that's kind of a favorite for me, or the book of Colossians. That's been a place God has met me a lot. Reading a familiar scripture and just allowing God to meet me there. Yeah, and I'm like, oh, I needed to, God was looking for my partnership. I forgot. Right. And I'm amazed at what's actually available to me that I've been leaving aside because I didn't, I thought it was just kind of routine, normal thing. So sometimes a simple pro simple practice that I've I've neglected. Uh for me, sometimes it's it's taking time to write a prayer, right? Um which is funny because it seems like writing a letter to God doesn't feel like you're talking to him, but you are. Right. So it's sometimes it's it's it's taking some time. Even after I've written a couple of sentences, I realize, okay, I'm probably not hearing from God because I'm not saying much that's real to him. Right. But when I'm writing, I'm usually writing something real. Right. I don't know if anybody else has this experience, but for me, I might get halfway through a sentence when I'm journaling and I don't even believe myself what I'm writing down. Like, ah, I don't even know even like scratch out that sentence because I don't even want to waste time writing that sentence because it's not really what I'm really feeling. But writing something real down in my journal helps me realize I'm not saying much that's real to God. Yeah. And so I write something that's very real and raw in me. Yeah. And it's amazing how I will sense his nearness just by being just nakedly raw with him. For sure. I'll become aware that, oh, yeah, I feel like he's listening. Yeah. And that opens me to hear him back. Yeah. Um, and then I'll just throw this third one in real quick because I'll give you a chance. Because man, this is like obviously I've experienced many seasons where I've sensed this that God, I'm not hearing God. God has trained me over the decades to not not in a uh heavy-handed hit me with a stick with a rod kind of deal, but in a invitational. Yeah, you will seek, you will find me when you seek me with all your heart. There is the seeking part. I need I need to invest. So um, and I so the other thing I just wanted to throw in there was just that we love God with our heart, soul, mind, and strength. Yes. So that's really great. Parts of my being are constantly communicating with God. Yeah. And so paying attention to how my body feels, yeah. Uh, paying attention to um, you know, how God might be stirring up, uh, He wants to relate to me my feelings, and or He wants to meet me contemplating a thought. Like there's lots of ways God is communicating to our being.
SPEAKER_03:Right. And I think I think this is I mean, again, before we get to like um but I think this is so many trails. This is I know, I know. I just all the trails are appearing before me. Um, but I just wanted to say, like, where you are, where you're hitting on is that I think this is helpful for every believer when it comes to this the subject about like what to do when it seems like God's not talking. It's really what like what a lot of what like think of thematically what you're describing is it's really uh almost as if we're taking a radio and we're moving the tuner up and down the dial by putting yourself in different places and different maybe maybe disciplines uh or rhythms in your life where you have heard God or or could you have heard God in the past or could hear God. Right. It's right, or or it's like I wonder if you know this might be helpful to someone, you know, even specifically about going through just even from a biblical, a biblical uh perspective. We know God uh speaks in a still small voice, right? Biblically. We know that from uh, you know, I don't know, I'm gonna say like something like 2 Kings with Elijah in the cave. We know 17, 17, something something like that. Um I didn't come prepared for this. I'm just yeah I'm just riffing. But you know, Elijah Elijah, everybody in your Bible lap and in the cave, right? Right after the after he kills the prophets of Baal and he and he runs. Yep. Um, but uh there's the still small voice we know he speaks. We know he speaks in dreams, like we hit that uh in detail last week. Right. Dreams and visions. We know he speaks by the word of God, that it's alive and it's active, right? We know um there's other ways like dream, uh sorry, uh by trances. We know uh, you know, anecdotally, there's lots of ways that uh God will meet people in in a worship environment. When when we're worshiping, yeah, uh, you know, we've you get impressions.
SPEAKER_01:Impressions you think that you begin to move with and they get clearer, and it but the impression is what got you into the communication.
SPEAKER_03:Yes, like uh whether that's like a word of knowledge that comes through you or a or a prophetic word that comes to you, these these kinds of and I'm not making an exhaustive list, but there is there is a there is a quite a um extensive list of the ways that God is talking to you. Yep. And or or could talk to you is a better way to say it. So having a list in mind, maybe making a list, like, okay, so I'm I'm I'm sitting in in my prayer time, right? I'm I'm still before the Lord. I'm you know, I've practiced a discipline where I, you know, Jesus isn't my cosmic vending machine, right? So I'm I've already I've already dealt with that. Right, yeah, but I'm just sitting there and I'm I'm just I'm I'm listening and I've quieted my heart aside. I've quieted my heart, all the stuff, and then I'm sitting there in in stillness, right? And then and I don't feel anything. Right. Right. So what's what's wrong with me? The chances, nothing. Right, right. It's highly likely, right? But it's really what's wrong, what's wrong with me? It's automatic, yep. Yep. And the I guess in the in those moments, or it's like I read, you know, it's been a week of reading scripture and nothing has come alive to me. I think the challenge, and at least the helpful sort of bit here that I want to give people is that perhaps it's that you know, perhaps it's that if you're if you've read scripture now and nothing has come alive to you, maybe it's in the stillness that he's gonna talk to you. Right. Or you've if you've had if you have been uh still and it doesn't feel like God's talking, maybe he's gonna talk to you in a dream. Or or uh in your case, if he hasn't talked to you in either of those places, maybe he's gonna talk to you as you journal. Right. Right. As you put yourself in that place. Maybe you're mixing up the, maybe you're moving the this this uh this example work doesn't quite work in modern days, but it people I think people can still get radio frequencies and moving up and down the dial, right? Right. I think maybe because you're putting yourself in different places where you're you can actually hear God. Right. And so that's my challenge is that, and I and I think this is going to be helpful for for someone to to hear these kinds of things and be like, okay, all right. Well, sometimes God, in the interest, right, in the interest of having you grow or or I grow in the kind of ways that we hear God, He will often switch up how he speaks to you. Right. Right. And it doesn't mean that he's bad, it just means that he's good, right? Right. And he has more for he knows he knows what he wants for your life. Yeah. And so when we put ourselves in these positions, you know, if my I guess my encouragement is that don't just short sell how God talks to you. And then there's don't pigeonhole it, maybe that's the better way to say it. Don't just pigeon pigeonhole it into one or two specific ways. Even though they may be dominant throughout your life, right? God will not will He will not exclusively speak in those ways. He has way more interest in you growing in the kind in the breadth of ways that you wow that you hear God.
SPEAKER_01:That's really good. That's really good. It's it's it's funny because I'm um kind of something stirring in my heart that how often do I equate, okay, the way that I know God loves me is that He speaks to me. Yes. And I it's as I say that out loud, I'm like, I don't think that that's healthy. I don't think it's healthy for me to think of that way. Yeah, I'll know God loves me when I hear from him. Yeah. I think that's backwards. Oh, you're you're you're on something. But I think it's very common for us to assume what's wrong with me when I don't feel like I'm hearing from God, we it what what's under that often is I will know that I'm okay when I hear God. Yes. When possibly growth is I'm okay whether I think I'm hearing from God or not. Yes. Like he actually loves me. Yeah. Like the fact that he speaks to me, uh that how how do we say this? Like he his love is previous previous prevenient, previous, whatever. His love goes before his his unconditional love for every one of us goes before okay, yeah. Like the reality of that is something that is is always present. Yeah, God is love, yeah, and he loves every living creature. Yes. Um whether or not I am perceiving what he's saying, yeah, that is not proof that he loves me. Yes. Um whether I feel like he's talking, he he he loves me even when he's silent.
SPEAKER_03:Yes. And that's something that a mature believer will will get. Yeah. Right. They will have gone through maybe like uh, you know, some I, you know, I'm in my 50s and you're in your 60s, but I don't feel like I'm quite at that point where I can just say, you know. I've nailed that. I've nailed it, but like I would just say, like, I I picture an old saint, right? Someone, someone older, older than us, like in their in their 70s or 80s, let's say. Um, but they would just the knowing look in their their face where they've they've been through seasons where where God has been silent, but yet they they never they never turn it. He is good and he's faithful and he's he's just he has a right to be God. And he, you know, and again, right, I I would say maybe maybe this is a there's a there's one way uh uh I don't mean to like I don't I I don't think we're short circuiting something here, but you know, for me sometimes when it when God feels like he's silent, I go, number one, God's not obligated like to talk to me. Right. Right, he's not obligated, like I don't hold him, and I you know, I I think I hit that like way back, way back a few, you know, maybe first episode or first or second episode, but you know, God's not obligated to talk to me, he's not beholden to my schedule, he's not, he's not, he is God, yeah, right. And he does, and I guess there's a part of me in my heart that needs to surrender to that so that, and again, like when he, you know, uh so that so that I can experience those times without thinking there's anything wrong with me. Yes, right? Yes, so that I can I can walk through those times. And then there are, and so if that's true, right? So that's the first place that I go. Okay, number one, God, you're not obligated to me. You're God, I am not, and so I live my life. have to stand on that. This is the this is the only way this is gonna work is that if I I get settled on that reality. Right. The other thing is is that um what is the other thing uh that um that he's he is prone to uh and I would say a hundred percent like he's he's interested in growing you and he's prone to he's it's his right to test us yes right yeah and in the testing right when you know there's there's promise on the other side of the test right so if he is a little silent there is it's a uh it's a test that I can walk through confidently at some point I will come to believe in greater measure that I'm still his son I'm still his child he still loves me yeah but but there's the joy of choosing I think that's what I wanted really wanted to get to right is that for me when it feels like God is silent and it feels like there's a there's a brick wall there even though there isn't but it sometimes it can feel that way. Right I have learned the joy of like all right Lord I'm gonna worship you I'm gonna pray I'm going to I'm gonna do this right regardless of be regardless of whether or not I tangibly hear from you I tangibly experience your presence right because I know it's the joy of choosing right it's the because I know that this is good for me. I know that you have let's just say for example you have sovereignly I mean I'm not saying this is exactly right but you have sovereignly ordained this moment here where here I am sitting with you and it feels like I'm a brick right you know you have sovereignly either ordained this moment or you have allowed this moment to happen right where I'm I'm I'm bringing myself before you right and apparently you have nothing to say right like apparently yeah yeah and and and I would say that I have learned not I have not become an expert in but I have learned the joy of choosing and I'm like all right well Lord I know that this is important I know that this is good for me I know that there's something you're doing there you're gonna you're gonna grow me inside right through this experience right and maybe in a big way maybe in just a small way right whatever totally and I think this is the this is like this is gonna this is for sure got to be helpful to someone is that because it isn't pleasant right it isn't great like again when you know you know the presence of God when when he is close tangibly that's the greatest that's the greatest yes right there's nothing like there's nothing like the nearness of God right uh in my life there's not nothing there it doesn't nothing holds a candle to it like yeah like there is nothing like the nearness of God because it's it's right at the core of why I'm alive. Right. Right to know him. Yeah right yeah and when that doesn't happen you know that when that doesn't when I'm and I I hope people understand when I don't when that when I say that doesn't happen it's not that it's not happening it's just I'm not aware of it. Right yes right so yeah so when I'm not aware that that's happening when I'm not experiencing yes the the closeness of God yeah it is this beautiful opportunity to choose because God is a good father and he's interested in faith being you know it's about faith right those moments are about choosing which is about faith which is about you know it's about growing that in you and me and anyone who's listening.
SPEAKER_01:And that's helpful to me Anthony I mean I hope it's helpful to people who are listening beyond you know they're listening to the recording but it helps me and it's such a a really good reminder um as you're talking I'm aware that uh I'm aware that oftentimes I would feel like God's not speaking to me because he's not saying what I want to hear. Right. Oh yeah and also um I think there's a subtle difference between I don't feel like I'm hearing anything from God, what's wrong with me? Yeah. There's a slight difference between that question and what I think is a healthy perhaps more productive question. Yeah. Am I in pain somewhere that's causing me not to be want to hear God absolutely have I shut a door to a room in my heart that I'm unable to hear God because I've shut a door on him is he wanting to speak into a room in my life that I've got closed off right now. And then if I can remember I'm I'm with the the God who loves me completely unconditionally God would you help me to understand is there pain is there an area of closed off instead of what's wrong with me. Something very different when a child is in pain and they're around a mom and dad who they know they have really secure attachment with that mom and dad yeah that this that this you know the the four the four things we talk about with attachment needs you know every every child needs to know they're seen soothed safe and secure right right and those those attachment needs are fully met in God and I'm so grateful that uh in in the scientific community uh we we're learning that that God created us with those needs yeah and that he meets every one of them right you know that that we're that we're seen soothed safe and secure from day one of our life yeah in God and really it's just a discovery as we go in Christ Jesus we're discovering those things are true. But but having you know things that maybe are unmet needs in our life can they can be the reason for for not hearing God is because we're in too much pain or we've closed off an area. We don't want to trust yeah we don't want to trust God that vulnerably but it's not a matter of what's wrong with me it's it's okay to say where am I in pain that I'm resisting you God. Yeah like uh like I know you've got me and you understand me you know me and you comfort me why am I afraid to hear what you're saying? Right. Could you show me and he will he will show us yeah and it's it's beautiful um so it's just a little bit of a different shift um of just knowing you're with the one who is securely attached himself to you from even before you were born yeah and your life is just a discovery salvation in Christ Jesus is a continuing discovery and as you refer I've known Jesus now for close to half a century. Yeah he's known me for longer than that but I've known him that way and I'm still he's still taking me to deeper places of my life my being and I'm hearing him in deeper places of my life but it it is almost always I'm in pain there. God wants to come in and be there with me and heal me and loosen me up open a new door I had closed and suddenly I can hear him the issue wasn't that there was something wrong with me it was I needed healing I needed freedom. Right. It wasn't like he wanted to come in and by wrong wrong you mean like sinful yeah yeah yeah yeah yeah like uh that would make God want to reject me. Right. Like what is it that about me that you're rejecting me God I think God wants to say I'm not rejecting you I'm inviting you into more healing. Yes like I want you to discover like what's the thing we said last week we I said um you know God fully knows me and he loves what he knows and he's training me to love what he knows about me. Yeah like it's it's that same vein. Maybe maybe a person who's listening today who's right in the middle of I don't think I hear God maybe just inviting by grace could you just ask God what is it that I don't really know about me that you're trying to train me to love like what is it that you know about me that I currently have got an issue with could you train me to to love what you love about me.
SPEAKER_03:Yeah I think I think it's just it's the you know I hope I hope the conversation today does a couple things. But one I I you know obviously I really hope that it's encouraging to somebody um you know specifically people who are in at least they know we have issues well yes I know all right at least that let's keep popping the bubble that that we are some you know experts or savants or you know whatever uh so far uh we're just at least experts in you're not getting rid of us God yeah yeah exactly that's that's what we're experts in right we're experts in like well okay you're stuck with yeah but I think I think it's like that we and this isn't this is not a topic necessarily that we talk about a whole lot which I think is reason why I think this conversation will be helpful but but it's just that it's just the world I think I think it's the not when I say rest I mean like not not flailing around in your heart like not the angsty emotional uh whatever unsettledness of of like what what's you know what's wrong like it's actually you know the more that I've learned the more that you read the more that you could I again I don't think I mean there's there's some there's some really great uh champions of the faith in the area of prayer who have lived the things that we're living yes absolutely right and it's not like it could not you know I I guess to flip the script a little bit it could be you know in a season where it seems like God's quiet or or whatever it it's not that something's wrong it could be that something is very right yeah right and oh this is the other thing I wanted to just throw out there like I I keep having this image going through my mind of like an athlete training right they're training uh you know for for something let's just say they're they're a runner right so they're gonna be training not every day is going to be awesome they're gonna have awesome days that's right they're gonna there's gonna be struggle yeah in the in the training right right they're gonna have days where they don't feel like it days where where it's like they're gonna have days where it's like well yesterday I ran you know the the 100 meters I ran it in this time and today I'm slower right why right and they they go into this process of like digging into like this is like why why was that or or or maybe that's just the day right and but if I keep going then I'm gonna get better and better and better. Right right and training is always hard work and at some level yeah it's hard work and it's choices right like there is that you keep choosing to get up every day you keep choosing to you know to eat the food you eat right that's not Cheetos and you know Coca-Cola. You keep you keep doing these things daily and you grow. Right I would I would argue that the struggle of learning and leaning in and posturing your heart structuring your life to hear God is very much like that. Yeah that it is there is element of struggle in that there is element of like this isn't gonna go um this isn't gonna go always how I want it to go right right and I just believe I just am so convinced just by the word by the word of God and by faith that that knowing that God is that Jesus is the good shepherd uh and that he's really in and the Holy Spirit his presence in my life uh is is the promise of Christlieness. Yeah right yeah so he Jesus is the shepherd you know the Holy Spirit is the seal right you we see I think that's like Ephesians one or two I think just his presence is almost like the it's almost like the engagement ring right like it's the the promise of of fullness in Christ. Right right like the full measure of Christ being filled yeah being filled to the full measure of Christ in his the Holy Spirit's presence in our life so knowing those things by the word I can stand on that I can stand on those things and depend on them and not be um why am I where's my why is old English coming in but like it's not we don't have to be frantic in that right we don't have to run around you know in a frantic way wondering what's wrong with me. Right. When it's like when we enter into these seasons we can just rest that's what I'm getting at. Like just calm your heart right just go before the Lord and just enjoy the fact that we get to that he's good. Yeah you know I think I'm I'm thinking I'm making sense right now but I just want to just drive that home yeah that in these moments where it's got where it feels like God is not loud where it feels like he's he's not necessarily speaking in the way that we are used to that these are moments where things are just right. Like we're we're set up right like he's setting us up for success. He's setting us up to become more Christlike he's setting us up to to find healing in the places of pain. He's setting us up so that we'll seek we'll seek him all the more right we'll grow all the more he's not hiding from us right why we've said that um you know I I think I said it last week when we were talking hiding things for us. Yes he's hiding things for us it's that you know it's that uh Proverbs 252 it's the glory of God to conceal a matter glory of kings to search out a matter right it's he's hiding he's not hiding from us he's hiding for us right and so he's interested he's really really really really interested in our Christlikeness yeah and he's really really interested in our growing in hearing his voice right and so anything that happens in our in our situation it's all unto um it's all unto our maturity it's all unto our growing and deepening of our walk with the Lord yeah if we don't give up. Yeah right and I think that's yeah circling back to that thing that we've become experts in I think or at least I feel like it's times yeah it's the thing that I'm I'm doing with people is just say keep going don't give up okay welcome to the club of these seasons where it isn't going the way you thought it was going to go. Just keep going. And I think that's just important. And I maybe that's the message sort of maybe that's the message for for people is yeah you know just keep going. Yeah don't write yourself off like if there is sin deal with the sin. Right. If it isn't sin, just love the silence. It rejoice in the choosing like God I'm choosing this and I'm gonna enjoy this yeah this process or these times with you even if it feels like you're I'm just gonna I'm gonna remind myself how good you are and how good you have been. Right. Do you know what I'm saying?
SPEAKER_01:I do I do kind of ranting a little bit but yeah well it makes a lot of sense in the in the uh you know the everyday walking out uh you know God may your kingdom come and your will be done on earth as it is in heaven in my life um it makes a lot of sense in the the daily grind of that because it is but it's worth it it's like it's worth the effort it's worth it really costing us it's it's worth being trained into Christ likeness.
SPEAKER_03:Yeah it's really it's worthwhile um it's almost like taking up your cross and denying yourself and following Jesus.
SPEAKER_01:Yeah exactly well totally right and thanks for referencing that because um Eugene Peterson says he was referring to Jesus saying I am the way the truth and the life no one comes to the Father except through me right Eugene Peterson said it this way the Jesus way uh married to the Jesus truth equals Jesus life. Right. Like if we want the life that Jesus lived as his as his followers as as his brothers and sisters well we need his truth but we also need to walk the way right like we need to look at how Jesus made it through what are the practices Jesus followed in order to to live out the kingdom in his life it was hard work for him.
SPEAKER_02:Right.
SPEAKER_01:And so that's that's worth looking into um and I I I wanted to just encourage encourage everybody with this um I love remembering that there is a war going on in the world we live in between the Dominion of darkness and the kingdom of Jesus and we are living in a world at war yeah but we're not at war with God. Right like God is an ally with every person who's listening to this God is your ally in this life and even if even if there are things that need to be mended retrained uh areas that need to be forgiven in my life repentance that I need to process through with God and I know there are and there will be going forward but I am not at war with God. God is an ally with me against the Dominion of darkness. And so just to throw in there that yes there are old habits of thinking that we all have that keep us distracted from really hearing what God is saying or what seeing what he wants to show us. Yeah and so yes we have that that in our humanity but then there's also the dominion of darkness that wants to ride in on that and lie to you about what that means. That God's rejecting you're not good enough to hear him uh God doesn't love me anymore um I'm such a failure therefore God doesn't know what to do with me all these things I'm not enough I'm not good enough all these things yeah I'm abandoned so and so on so on God doesn't shame us for those things he actually wants us to understand I'm your ally and you belong to me so I am with you in this journey. Absolutely um God is happy to vouch for you because through you know through the blood of Jesus God has completely opened up the way for him to be able to vouch for you if you put your faith in him. So I just want to encourage anybody in that like hearing God is not a notch in your belt to say see I knew God loved me. It's like you know he he does love you and he will reassure you with his voice but it's not in the sense of oh there you obtained some kind of perfection therefore I will speak to you. It's actually trust trust my voice trust my word and you'll actually discover how I see you.
SPEAKER_03:Like that's more the the order of it right so yeah I wonder maybe then as we sort of land the plane here I'm just wondering if you could just like maybe pray for people who would be just that are that are maybe walking through a bit of a season where it feels like God is silent. Yeah. And just pray for grace on them that hopefully this conversation has been encouraging uh and helpful to people which I I know I if you know again this would be helpful for me if in in that season I know just hey welcome to the club yeah but also I'm just wondering if you could just maybe just take just take a couple minutes and and pray for people yeah that they would just be encouraged.
SPEAKER_01:I'd love to do that. Yeah yeah love to well hey everybody let's pray God thank you so much for our lives thank you that um you've given us life you are our life and Jesus we do just say over our lives over everyone listening that uh Jesus you are the way the truth and the life and you are the way for whoever would put their faith in you you are the way to know God. So we say thank you for the open door invitation today and I would love to just pray for my friends who maybe are in a time where they feel like they're not hearing from you and you know some level of discouragement or whatever. I just want to pray I want to read um and pray out of Ephesians chapter one for them um keep asking that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ the glorious Father may give you the spirit of wisdom and revelation so that you may know him better. And I just want to pray that for them right now that you would give my friends come Holy Spirit spirit of wisdom and revelation come and rest with our friends be upon our friends let them know you're there make yourself aware to them so that they would know you better discover your goodness and to discover how you see them we pray this God for your glory and for their joy we pray it in Jesus' name amen. Amen well that's a wrap on this episode it's been a privilege to have you as an honored guest as we all learn to hear God better.
SPEAKER_03:If your time with us has been encouraging and you think this conversation will be helpful to others we would love it if you could share this podcast with the people around you. Until next time
