Hearing God in your Soul

'The great heroes of our faith are, without exception, those who attended first and foremost to the inner world of their own souls. They viewed the world itself as ‘the Vale of Soul- making’, to use Keats’ lovely phrase. These people undoubtedly did extraordinary things – they taught with great wisdom, fought great injustices, built schools, hospitals and cities – but their priority was always to nurture and adorn that secret place within themselves in which they walked and talked with God.

This imagery of divine hospitality is used by Paul when he writes, ‘I pray that . . . Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith’ (Eph. 3:16–17 NIV UK). In the fourteenth century, Julian of Norwich... described the human soul as God’s ‘most familiar home and his favorite dwelling’. Isn’t that lovely? A couple of centuries later, St John of the Cross described it as ‘that very tabernacle where He dwells, the secret Chamber of his retreat where he is hidden’. Meanwhile, his friend Teresa of Ávila pictured her soul as ‘a most splendid palace built entirely of gold and precious stones’. In all these images there is a sense of the soul as that handsome space within each one of us in which we may most naturally host the One who loves us most.’

The Orthodox theologian Brad Jersak describes how his prayer life has evolved over time: ‘It has morphed from a one-way verbal communiqué to the “God-out-there” into a visual, internal meeting with the indwelling Spirit of Christ.’

‘This is a beautiful journey of increasing intimacy which we may all undertake. It leads from hearing God speak externally through his Word in Christ, in Scripture and in the prophetic..., to hearing God’s whisper within, through our dreams, consciences and imagination... And it is here, in this way, that we slowly make the great discovery:

‘There is hardly ever a complete silence in our soul. God is whispering to us well-nigh incessantly. Whenever the sounds of the world die out in the soul, or sink low, then we hear these whisperings of God.’

(Frederick William Faber)’

I imagine that Jesus is sitting beside me, and I take few moments just to be with him in silence.

Lord, thank you for meeting with me and dwelling in my heart. Help me to cultivate a home for you in my soul – a place you always feel loved.

Amen.