"Can You Hear Me Now?" in American Sign LanguageSample

Do You Want to Hear from God?
By Rick Warren

“I will climb up to my watchtower and stand at my guardpost. There I will wait to see what the LORD says and how he will answer.” (Habakkuk 2:1 NLT)

Hearing from God starts with a desire. You have to want to hear from God!

Habakkuk 2:1 says, “I will climb up to my watchtower and stand at my guardpost. There I will wait to see what the LORD says and how he will answer” (NLT).

Habakkuk begins with these words: “I will.” In other words, he’s saying that he is deciding to listen to God. It’s a choice.

You’re never going to hear God unless you want to hear God. It’s just that simple. God speaks to those who decide in advance that they’re going to do whatever God tells them to do before he even tells them. He does not play games. He wants you to desire communication with him and for you to say, “God, you tell me what to do, and I’ll do it.”

Once you decide you want to hear from God, you have to withdraw to a quiet place. Habakkuk 2:1 says, “I will climb up to my watchtower,” which is a Hebrew expression that means to get alone.

You cannot hear God’s voice if you’re surrounded by noise. That’s why you’ve got to find a quiet place. Would you agree that it’s tough to find a quiet place in today’s world? How about in your own house? Parents of preschoolers know what I’m talking about.

Let me give you parents a little encouragement. Susanna Wesley had 18 children, and two of her sons changed history. John Wesley was the founder of the Methodist church, and Charles Wesley wrote hundreds of Christian hymns. Both of them attributed their love for God to their mom’s passionate dedication to the Lord. She prayed every day. How do you find time to withdraw and pray every day when you have 18 kids? Sometime in the afternoon, she would sit down in her rocking chair and pull her long apron up over her head. All the kids knew that if they disturbed mom when the apron was over her head, they were in for it!

Jesus gives us some very specific advice in Matthew 6:6: “Find a quiet, secluded place so you won’t be tempted to role-play before God. Just be there as simply and honestly as you can manage. The focus will shift from you to God, and you will begin to sense his grace” (MSG).

There are two words that will motivate your decision to withdraw and get away with the Lord: God cares. God cares about what you’re going through. If you don’t realize that he cares, why would you want to spend any time with him? Once you realize how much he cares, how much grace he has to give to you, then you’ll make the decision to withdraw and be with him.

Talk It Over

In what ways do you show God that you want to hear from him?

What is your quiet, secluded place? How does it help you hear from God?