Walking With Jesus

How Does God Speak?

Jesus said, in John 10:27: “My sheep listen to my voice…” (NLT) The implications are manifold, but the point is, it shouldn’t be considered odd or unusual that followers of Jesus are able to hear, discern, understand and respond appropriately to the voice of our Shepherd.

We’ll look at some ways that God speaks, but before we do that, here are a few things to consider. First, as with any conversation, speaking is only half of the equation. If my wife speaks to me, but I’m not listening, it doesn’t matter what her message is. Similarly, when God speaks to us as His followers, if we’re so distracted by other things, we can easily miss what He’s seeking to say to us.

Second, God spoke in an audible voice on occasion in the Bible, and there are those with whom He still communicates in that manner. That said, I’ve personally never heard God’s audible voice, except as He speaks to me through another person. However, in my spirit I have discerned His voice clearly many times. He is the inspiration of everything I write, and I trust His “voice” to guide me, just as I believe He guided the authors of the Bible.

Perhaps it would be helpful to think of God speaking, as simply communicating. It’s purported that a high percentage of human communication is nonverbal, even when using words, so it shouldn’t surprise us that God seeks to communicate with us in many nonverbal ways.

This is in no way intended to be a comprehensive report of every way God speaks; however, I do hope to emphasize that God seeks to communicate with us in a “language” that is specific to every person. He very much desires each of us to hear and understand what He’s saying.

In Hebrews 1:1 the author writes: “Long ago God spoke many times and in many ways to our ancestors through the prophets. And now in these final days, he has spoken to us through His Son…” (NLT) In the opening verses of the Gospel of John we read: “In the beginning the Word (Jesus) already existed. The Word was with God, and the Word was God.” (NLT)

The most significant and understandable way God speaks to us is through His Word, the Bible. Jesus, God’s living Word, is the thread that holds the narrative of the whole Bible together. God will never say anything to anyone at any time that contradicts what He’s clearly declared in His written Word, the Bible.

One of my Seminary Professors was fond of saying: “The best interpreter of Scripture is Scripture.” In other words, if you’re struggling with something you read in the Bible, keep reading and somewhere in the Bible you’ll come upon a clarifying statement or passage that will shed light on what you don’t understand.

Reading and studying the Bible isn’t our whole responsibility as a believer, but it’s certainly an integral part of the process. Without the instruction of God’s Word, we have no track to run on, no clear “Voice” to guide us in our quest of fulfilling God’s purposes on this earth.

Yes, of course, there are conflicting interpretations and teachings regarding the Bible, but I’ve found in my nearly sixty years of following Jesus, as the Psalmist affirmed in Psalm 119:105: “Your word is a lamp to guide my feet and a light for my path.” (NLT)

If you desire to know God’s will and discern His strong, clear voice, make time every day to read the Bible, taking notes and listing insights and questions. And when you read something that’s difficult to understand, seek counsel from a pastor or trusted, believing friend.

Space doesn’t allow elaboration on every way that God speaks (communicates) with us, but I’ll list a few for your consideration.

Nature – God shares His creativity and power through that which He’s created. Sit on a huge boulder in the Grand Canyon and watch the sunset. Ponder the breathtaking beauty of a sunrise from the vantage of a Hawaiian island. Hike the trails of the forests of the world or climb the many mountains that give you views that can literally thrill your soul. Listen to a bird’s song or follow the erratic path of a butterfly. Marvel at the flight of an eagle or smile at the antics of a monkey.
Music – Do you want to know God’s favorite kind of music? All of it! He inspired the creation of every note, whether the composer acknowledged His participation or not.
Other believers – What a joy to have a conversation with someone who loves Jesus, sharing the manifold ways He speaks to them and expresses His loving care in such personal ways. Read books and articles. Go to seminars, speak with pastors or Christian counselors, always being careful to measure what you hear with what the Bible teaches.
Life’s experiences – Pastor Rick Warren says: “God never wastes a problem.” Some of the most life-transforming lessons I’ve learned were through pain and suffering. On the path the Lord has led you, you will encounter things that you would never have chosen for yourself. “Listen” carefully in those seasons.
Quietness/stillness – Sometimes the Lord speaks to me most clearly when I’m too sick to get out of bed. Did I hear someone say – “captive audience?” But even when I’m well, sitting quietly in His presence, free of distractions, opens the lines of communication with God.
Worship – Both individual and corporate. Opening ourselves to Him in complete surrender, singing to Him, desiring Him above all else, giving ourselves fully to Him without reservation – nothing opens the lines of communication like fully yielding ourselves to Him.
The truth is, there is no limit to the number of ways God will speak to us if we’re willing to listen.

A few days ago, God said to me, not in an audible voice, but with absolute clarity: “Miracles abound for those whose spirit is tuned to experience them.” God is the same yesterday, today and forever. The same God who spoke this earth and everything in it into existence is the same God who speaks to us today. He WANTS to communicate with you. Are you listening?

Blessings, Ed 🙂

What I Learned Through My Divorce

Having lost both of my parents, a sister and many other relatives and friends to death, there’s a part of me that believes the death of my marriage and subsequent divorce resulted in a longer, more agonizing period of grief than the death of my loved ones. When someone we love dies, while painful and debilitating on many levels, if we have confidence they walked with the Lord Jesus, there’s comfort in knowing our aching heart will one day be healed as we’re reunited with them.

When the one to whom we’ve pledged our life-long devotion chooses to walk away and be joined to another after more than 20 years, yet, because of children or other extenuating circumstances, remains in our lives, initially, it’s almost like going through the agony of death every time we see them again. The separation caused by death, at least from a clinical viewpoint, is “clean,” final, complete. “Death” by divorce, for me was an ongoing reminder that part of my life was gone and, while from a biblical perspective, Jesus was and is my life, my wholeness, there was a sense in which I felt incomplete, broken, defeated.

I remember in the days following my divorce, caring friends, in an effort to comfort me, told me it would by “okay,” that I’d “survive.” I asked one of them how long it had been since their divorce and they told me five years. I know they meant well, but I needed to know how to get through the next five minutes. Five years seemed an eternity in that season.

It’s now been more than thirty years and, true to His Word, God has sustained and healed me, but I carry with me to this day the scars of my divorce. What did I learn? How has the Lord redeemed the tragedy of my broken marriage?

The most powerful lesson for me was learning when you have nothing left but God, He’s enough. I was a staff pastor when my wife left, but emotionally I wasn’t able to continue in that role, so I resigned my position. The house we owned was bought with our combined incomes, so it had to be sold. I had no job, thus no income, so I couldn’t support my two teen-aged children. Divorced pastors aren’t exactly “hot items” in the job market, so the only employment I could find was commissioned sales. Believing my income potential would allow me to deal with our indebtedness and not, in good conscience, being able to consider bankruptcy an option, as part of the divorce agreement I accepted nearly $60,000 in unpaid bills.

I love cars, so I decided to take a job selling cars. How hard can it be, right? Rebuilding was a long, slow process, littered with eviction notices and overdue billing statements. The low point of my life was the day I opened the envelope with my two-week pay statement. After my child support, taxes and everything else was deducted, I had less than $20 to survive until the next payday. I was driving a new Cadillac provided by the dealership, but didn’t have money to put gas in it.

Robert Schuller often said, “Inch by inch, anything’s a cinch.” How did the Lord put the broken pieces of my life back together? “Inch by inch;” moment by moment. He taught me He can be trusted to give me what I need, not when I want it, but when I need it. Ironically, I never actually got evicted, the Lord always made a way for me to keep a place to live. And, though it took me ten years, every debt incurred while I was married was paid in full. He even let me win a contest at the Auto Dealership, that enabled me to take my sixteen year-old daughter to the Bahamas.

At 73 my faith is stronger than ever. My growing love for and devotion to my Savior is more real and alive, and my desire to use whatever measure of influence I now have to help others find Jesus, is the driving force of my life. There’s a sense in which the Lord resurrected me from the death of my divorce and has enriched my life in ways I never could have imagined.

My new bride of 27+ years is the delight of my life and she’s more beautiful to me today than the day we met. Have we had issues? Is the Pope Catholic? Jesus assured us that in this world we “will have troubles.” (John 16:33) Not “if.” Not “maybe.” Dealing with conflict and resolving it respectfully is the glue that holds our marriage together, but dependence upon the Lord is foundational. As Solomon noted in Ecclesiastes 4:12b (NLT): “…a triple-braided cord is not easily broken.” Faithfulness and trust are the keys to happy marriage and, in my mind, are the two key ingredients the Lord brings to our lives when we yield our allegiance to Him.

May I sum up what I’ve learned, in these few verses? It has been and continues to be an inch by inch, moment by moment process enabling me to…

“Trust in the Lord with all (my) heart;

do not depend on (my) own understanding.

Seek His will in all (I) do

and He will show (me) which path to take.”

— Proverbs 3:5-6 (NLT)

His path has led me to peace and confidence in my relationship with Him, to the woman of my dreams and to the best church on the planet. It doesn’t get much better than that this side of heaven.

Blessings, Ed 🙂

Why Another Blog?

As a retired pastor I find great comfort in knowing my identity wasn’t and isn’t in what I did/do (i.e. pastoring/being retired). By the way, neither is yours. As children of God, our identity is found in our oneness with our Father.

When I was born physically I became a Hager, the name of my biological father, and I received his name and became identified as his son. Whatever else I did in the course of my life, nothing could change the fact that I’m my father’s son. Similarly, there was a point in time, the Spring of 1963, when I opened my heart and life to Jesus and became, by virtue of my “new birth,” a child of God.

Just as a young child has to learn to walk and talk and run and play, as a child of God we have to learn how to relate to our new, invisible, heavenly Father. What does it look like to walk with Jesus? What happens when I fail? What about all the wrong things I’ve done? These and a thousand other questions reverberate in my mind and heart and compel me to give expression to the things the Lord is teaching me in our almost 6 decades together.

That’s why I’m blogging. Each day the Lord gives me insights, ideas, understandings that He prompts me to share with others. If what you read here is helpful, please tell others. If it’s not, please tell me. I’m not a “professional” writer, I’m just someone who loves Jesus and wants to spread the love He’s given me with everyone I can.

Blessings, Ed 🙂