“Did You Hear That?”

Many Christians believe that God speaks through our inner being, and that if a believer learns to tune in on the Spirit’s voice, he can, in effect, gain extra insight into God’s will for his life. This is usually described as being led by the Spirit. Similar to the Jedi calming their minds so that they can find the will of the Force, many Christians try to hear the Spirit speaking to their hearts. Afterwards, they may say, “God spoke to me.” In their defense, they usually don’t mean that God spoke audibly to them, but the result is the same, and they perceive the message they received as just as valid.

If God really does communicate by this means, then we all need to learn to listen to what he says in order to obey. But if the Bible does not teach that he does this, then we need to abandon this practice as unprofitable.

The Knowable and Unknowable Wills of God

If there’s anything we should strive to do right, it’s God’s will. In fact, the Bible commands us to understand the Lord’s will. “Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the Lord’s will is” (Ephesians 5: 17). So, it’s actually disobedience not to understand God’s will. But before we can understand something, we have to at least know it, and therein lies the challenge.