Prepared to Hear (Acts)

Acts- God Speaks

A.W. Tozer wrote, “God will speak to the hearts of those who prepare themselves to hear; and conversely, those who do not so prepare themselves will hear nothing even though the Word of God is falling upon their outer ears every Sunday.”

Have you ever heard God speak to you?

My sixth grader and I have been studying the book of Acts for His Bible class and I have been amazed at all of the different ways that God spoke to His people in this book. Here are a few examples:

The book opens with Jesus ascending to Heaven and two angels assuring His followers that He would return one day. There are multiple cases of angels speaking to people in the book of Acts.

While we are still in the first chapter, the apostles cast lots to choose a twelfth person to join their group. They prayed and then set out their fleece, so to speak. You and I may have done the same sort of thing if we have ever prayed something like this: “Lord, you know my heart. It is my deepest desire to do your will. Now there is a choice in front of me and I need you to help me know what your will is. If it is your will for me to do _____, then I pray that _____ would happen.”

Sometimes people had dreams, Peter saw a vision while he was praying, Saul was blinded temporarily, God spoke to people through other people, sometimes circumstances showed people God’s will, the Berean church was commended for confirming God’s voice through the study of His Word. The list goes on and on.

God was continually speaking to His people, but it was more than that. He was continually speaking in unique ways that they could understand. All they had to do was listen.

So, the question is, what are you and I doing to prepare our hearts to hear from the Lord? If we skip this vital step, there is no telling what we might be missing. On the other hand, by actively seeking to hear God’s Voice, something amazing will happen- we will actually hear it.