"Hearing God" (I)

I read Dallas Willard's Hearing God while in high school, and the book transformed my approach to Christianity. Digging through the crawlspace at Mom & Dad's house to pack up cherished books for storage in Wisconsin, I came across this gem and reread it in the span of two days (a big plus to being an underliner and highlighter is that you can pinpoint points-of-interest rather quickly). This book is good that I'm devoting a series of posts to unpacking some of his major points. The "chunks" will be as follows:

(A) Susceptibility to Hearing God's Voice

(B) The Nature of God's Voice

(C) Discerning God's Voice

(D) The Practice of Listening for God's Voice

Susceptibility to Hearing God's Voice

When we think about God speaking to us, we need to acknowledge His purposes in speaking with us. Willard writes on pages 145-146, "God does not speak only for us and our purposes, nor does he speak primarily for our own prosperity, safety or gratification. Those who receive the grace of God's saving companionship in his word are by that very fact are also fitted to show humankind how to live. They, and they alone, are at home in the universe as it actually is. In that sense they are the light of the world. Their transformed nature automatically suits them to the task, which, therefore, is not optional or an afterthought. The light that they radiate is not what they do but who they are." This is a crucial point to make, especially in an Americanized Christianity that imagines God's preoccupation when it comes to us is our health, wealth, and prosperity, the attainment of our dreams and ambitions. This is an entirely solipsistic approach to Christianity. So often we imagine that God orbits around us rather than us orbiting around God. God's preoccupation isn't our happiness in this present evil age but the advancement of His kingdom throughout the cosmos. Our role as God's renewed people is to serve as "priests and rulers" in this world, interceding between God and fallen humanity. Hannah Hurnard writes, "An intercessor is one who is in such vital contact with God and with his fellow man that he is like a living wire closing the gap between the saving power of God and the sinful men who have been cut off from that power. An intercessor is the contacting link between the source of power (the life of the Lord Jesus Christ) and the objects needing that power and life." That is our role, and ninety-nine percent of the time, God's word to us will be aimed at our flourishing in that role for God's glory and the advance of His kingdom. 

There are many barriers to hearing God's voice, not least a disposition towards God that places Him at our behest rather than the other way around. So long as we picture God as our wish-granter and problem-solver more than anything else, we effectively close ourselves off to His voice, since our eyes cannot see and our ears cannot hear. Often we claim we want to hear God's individualized word to us, but if we don't really want to hear His words, even if we think we do, we effectively render ourselves dumb. The Scriptures likewise tell us that an ungrateful heart and an unrepentant spirit hinder our prayers and thus our susceptibility to hearing and recognizing God's voice when He speaks to us.

Many people (especially Christians!) will claim that God doesn't speak to us since we have the Bible. That is God's word to us, and there's no need for anything else. Willard makes it quite clear that if our personal relationship with God is absent any sort of personal communication (even absent the possibility of personal communication), then there is no such thing as a personal relationship with Him. Willard emphasizes that God can communicate with us, He should communicate with us, and He does communicate with us. The New Testament shows us that God actively communicates with His people, giving them direction and guidance; indeed, Paul assumes in 1 Corinthians that God speaks to His people and that they in turn communicate His words to the gathered church. Willard advocates that God desires, if we will only seek Him and pay attention, to have a conversational relationship with us. He insists that there is appropriate, clear, and specific communication through conscious experience from God to the individual believer within the context of a life immersed in His kingdom.

And therein lies one of the greatest requirements for a conversational relationship with God: you must not only believe in Him as a scientist believes in gravity, but you must also belong to Him through Christ, and live the sort of life that is immersed in His kingdom. What we're talking about is regeneration. Willard observes, "Jesus said, 'No one can see the kingdom of God without being born from above' (Jn 3:3). Without this birth we cannot recognize God's workings; we do not possess the appropriate faculties and equipment. We are like kittens trying to contemplate a sonnet." (149) It is only in regeneration that we can enjoy the privilege of a conversational relationship with God, and in pages 148-149, Willard explains why:

"Human beings were once alive to God. They were created to be responsive to and interactive with him. Adam and Eve lived in a conversational relationship with their Creator, daily renewed. When they mistrusted God and disobeyed him, that cut them off from the realm of the Spirit. Thus they became dead in relation to it... God had said of the forbidden fruit, 'in the day that you eat of it you shall die.' (Gen 2:17). And they did. Biologically they continued to live, of course. But they ceased to be responsive and interactive in relation to God's cosmic rule in his kingdom. It would be necessary for God to confer an additional level of life on them and their children, through 'being born from above,' (Jn 3:3) in order for them once again to be alive to God, to be able to respond toward him and to act within the realm of the Spirit. Human beings 'born of water' (Jn 3:5)--that is, through natural birth--are alive in the flesh, in the biological and psychological realm of nature. But in relation to God they remain 'dead through the trespasses and sins' (Eph 2:1). Therefore they inhabit a world 'without hope and without God' (Eph 2:12 NIV). They can, however, be born a second time, 'born from above'... This is not merely to be born again in the sense of repeating something or to make a new start from the same place. Instead it is a matter of an additional kind of birth whereby we become aware of and enter into the spiritual kingdom of God."

Human beings are separated from the communion with God we had when we were in the Garden. In Christ that communion is restored. As we grow closer to God and fit better into the clothes of sanctification, we're enabled to discern His voice in our lives. That isn't to say that God doesn't speak to those who don't belong to Him; it's just to say that (a) it isn't the norm, and (b) when He does, it's still in accordance with His kingdom purposes. As I write this, there's a huge revival happening in northern Africa. Thousands upon thousands of Muslims are having visions and dreams of the resurrected Christ, and they're converting to Christianity in droves. (If you research Muslim conversions to Christianity, you will see that visions and appearances of Christ are a driving catalyst) Many of these Muslims were illiterate all their lives, and upon conversion, they find that their eyes are opened and they're able to read and comprehend the scriptures. These aren't hallucinations, and these aren't gimmicks. This is Christ appearing to these men and women and drawing them to himself; these are miracles taking place in northern Africa where the gospel is victoriously advancing. God does indeed make himself known to unbelievers, and He does indeed communicate with those who are lost. But this isn't a "conversational" sort of communication; that is, for the most part, reserved for those who are in communion with Him. It is a wondrous benefit of our redemption.

postscript: Wisconsin

We can be kinda weird.

My time in Wisconsin this past weekend was pretty great. I love spending time with Mandy "in person," not to mention the way it lets us continue getting to know one another and how we operate. A key facet to any romantic relationship is getting to know the other person's quirks, dispositions, temperaments, etc. so that the two people can love one another better. I'm so thankful that both of us are honest about what we think, what we're feeling, what we're wanting. In all the books on marriage I've read, one of the biggest "complaints" is that of communication, that one person or the other (usually both) either doesn't know how to communicate or simply doesn't communicate. Mandy and I are still learning how to communicate, and that's a good sign, because it means we are communicating, and that's key. Each difficult conversation makes me all the more excited about being with her, and I love learning how to love her better. That's so important in a relationship, and I'm glad that's something we have.

re:CampGrow

The Ethingtons, Mandy and I went to Camp Grow on Green Lake this afternoon. It's been close to a year since they all worked there, and there were lots of emotions and even more memories, even for me. I hadn't been there since 2011, when I came up to Wisconsin from Cincinnati and visited Mandy and met the Ethingtons for the first time. As Mandy and I pulled up the gravel drive flanking the green pastures, herds of deer grazed, and I remembered when Mandy drove a golf cart straight through a similar herd in 2011, the deer scattering all around us. It reminded me of that scene in The Lost World where the paleontologists drive their military vehicles through herds of apatosaurs, pachycephalosaurs, and parasaurolophuses. We went down to Spring Lake where Mandy and I took kayaks out at sunset, and we visited the boathouse where Mandy and I had stood and she confessed not knowing exactly how she felt about us. We went to the game room on the top floor of the Lodge where Mandy and I had watched New York, I Love You. I never expected after that trip to be back to that camp, and I enjoyed walking around with her hand in mine, reflecting on all that has transpired, how we've come together, and not just that, but how we love one another. It really is remarkable. Life has its seasons, and God takes us different directions throughout our lives to use us for His kingdom and for His glory. I'm excited to see how God will use me and Mandy is Wisconsin as we begin our lives "in real time" as a missional couple. I thank God for you always when I remember you in my prayers. 

A thousand other boys couldn't reach you.

How could I have been the one?

(Goo Goo Dolls)

[sunday meditations]

INTERMISSION: 1 PETER 1.13-21

In 1.1-12, St. Peter gave a telescopic view of the Christian hope: resurrection, glorification, partaking in our inheritance. Now, in 1.13-3.12, he takes the Christian hope and shapes Christian living—both in thought and deed—around that hope. That all this eschatological talk is something to hope for can’t be missed, as St. Peter doesn’t just recommend or suggest that the Asia Minor Christians hope, but, rather, he commands it.

“Hope!” he shouts. This isn’t a polite request or friendly advice: it is an imperative, a command, a duty. This hope, when fully implemented, is a hope characterized by sober, thoughtful living and a constant preparedness to embrace the consummation. The manner of living characterized by hope is holiness: those whose faith and hope are in God reflect this faith and hope in the way that they live, not by pursuing foolish pursuits or pleasures but by living godly lives which are quite distinct from the selfish, greedy, self-indulgent, and indifferent lifestyles of those who love themselves over against God. St. Peter will have much more to say on the subject, but before doing so, he brings into focus Christ himself: as Christ suffered, so Christians may suffer; and as Christ had hope in the midst of suffering, so do his people; and as Christ was glorified, so Christians, too, will be glorified when God raises them from the dead. All this results in the classic refrain: “Hope!” Christian living has as a “leg to stand on” the Christian hope, which both sustains and informs how God’s people—people of the future living in the present—are to think and behave both individually and in community.

Now St. Peter will move in the same direction but on a different track. Having given Christians assurance of their hope in the midst of suffering in the example of Messiah, Peter now locates their hope and living in the realm of their true identities. Christians have been born again, are new creations, regenerate human beings, and they are, to put it quite simply, to live like it. 

the half-marathon

We all know that when there's a race, all the runners bolt for the finish line, but only one will take the prize. When you run, run for the prize! Athletes in training are very strict with themselves, exercising self-control over their desires, and for what? For a wreath that soon withers or is crushed or simply forgotten. That is not our race. We run for the crown that we will wear for eternity." 

     - 1 Corinthians 9.24-25, The Voice

[The Story of God]

This essay seeks to display the Christian "Story of God" (or the "Story of Redemption") in seven acts. These acts are as follows:

     (1) Creation

     (2) The Fall

     (3) Israel

     (4) The Coming of the Messiah

     (5) The Advance of the Kingdom

     (6) Thy Kingdom Come

     (7) When All Shall Be Well

The Story of God

thpring blothoms!

(that's "spring blossoms" with a lisp)

This past month I've read five books geared at expanding my knowledge on various subjects of interest, from colonial American history to postmillennialism. As much as I love reading about subjects that interest me, the reading can be wearying, since I'm always trying to retain information, carrying that information in my head throughout the day, and generally being exhausted by having my mental faculties always working on overdrive. I have a laundry list of books in my queue, but they're all geared at expanding knowledge. And to be honest, I just don't feel like I can handle it anymore. So I'm taking a bit of a sabbatical and plunging into "entertainment reading," novels and stories that have NOTHING to do with colonial American history or theology. I just want a break. 

Last night around 9 PM I picked up a novel.

Airframe by Michael Crichton (one of my favorite authors).

I'm more than halfway through it.

Next up: Stephen King's The Stand.

I've always wanted to read it, but I've never had the time.

Or, rather, I've never had the nerve.

Because when I read fiction, when I read for entertainment rather than the acquisition of knowledge, I start feeling guilty. I start feeling like I'm wasting my time, that I'm not being a good steward or something along those lines. We all have our issues. I'm forcing myself to not read anything of "intellectual value" for the month of May. Nothing but stories, novels, fiction. And already I've felt a little bit better. Sitting on my sofa last night with the lamp glowing and reading a story, tearing through the pages, I was taken back to my high school days when I would read up to ten different books a month. I'm feeling pretty excited and trying to decide what books I'm going to read after The Stand. I may revisit Harry Potter, or take up Game of Thrones, or even hit up the Divergent series everyone is talking about. 

Spring really is a good time for reading.

Ben and I sat out on the back porch yesterday reading.

I was reading about the Stamp Act Crisis.

He was flipping through The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers.

"Are you still reading war books?" he asked.

I told him I was.

"I read war books. They're really sad. Lots of killing, horses, and orcs."

This evening after spending some time with Ams, I'll be going to bed early at my parents' house in Dayton before waking up in the dead of night to drive up to Wisconsin to make it to Ripon by the morning. Words will not suffice to express my excitement, the longing burning inside me to see Mandy face-to-face, to take her hand in mine, to pull her close and just hold her for a good long while. It's been over a month since we've seen in each other in "Real Life," and a month, I've decided, is far too long. I'm vowing to not let another month pass without seeing each other, and she'll just have to deal with that.