Kairos - How We Hear From God / Prompting And Pain Series

This is the 3rd message in the series called, "Kairos".

Big Idea: We don't want to miss the prompting of God. But, what is that like? And why in the world would God use pain?

A good pilot does what it takes to get his passengers home.

A good example of this is the story of a flight when the attendant told everyone to take their seats because of impending turbulence. It was a rowdy flight; the folks weren’t quick to respond; so she warned them again. “The flight is about to get bumpy. For your own safety, take your seats.”

Most did. But some didn’t, so she changed her tone, “ladies and gentlemen, for your own good take your seats.”

When it seemed like everyone had taken their seats they heard the voice of the pilot. “This is the captain; people have gotten hurt by going to the bathroom instead of staying in their seats. Let’s be very clear about our responsibilities. My job is to get you through the storm. Your job is to do what I say. Now sit down and buckle up!"

Just then the bathroom door opened and a red-faced man with a sheepish grin exited and took his seat.

Good pilots do what it takes to get their passengers home.

So does God. So here’s a question for you… “How far do you want God to go in getting your attention? If God has to choose between your eternal safety and your earthly comfort, which do you hope he chooses?" Don’t answer too quickly. Give it some thought.

God does what it takes to get our attention. God will whisper, God will shout, God will touch and tug. He will take away our burdens; He’ll even take away our blessings. If there are a thousand steps between us and him, he will take all but one. He will leave the final one for us. The choice to listen is ours.

God’s goal is not to make you happy. His goal is to make you his. His goal is not to get you what you want; it’s to get you what you need. And if that means a jolt or 2 to get you in your seat, then be jolted. (Max Lucado)

A father told the following story about his son.

My son, was five or six when he began asking me, "What does God's voice sound like?" I didn't know how to answer.

A few years later, the boy went off to his first junior high camp. In the middle of the week, the father went up to see his kid. He learned that the boy had started to assault another kid but had been held back by his friends. He was unrepentant, wanted to leave camp, pulled together his stuff, and shoved it into the car.

The dad asked him for a last talk before they drove away. They sat on two large rocks in the middle of the woods. "Son," he asked, "is there any voice inside you telling you what you should do?"

"Yes," he nodded.

"What's the voice telling you?"

"That I should stay and work it out."

"Can you identify that voice?"

"Yes," he said immediately. "It's God." It was the moment he'd waited for.

He said, "do you realize what just happened? You heard God's voice. He spoke to you from within your soul. Forget everything else that's happened. God spoke to you, and you were able to recognize Him."

The father said, “I will never forget his response: "Well, I'm still not doing what God said."

He explained to him that that was his choice, but this is what would happen. If he rejected the voice of God coming from deep within and chose to disobey His guidance, his heart would become hardened, and his ears would become dull. If he continued on this path, there would be a day when he would never again hear the voice of God. There would come a day when he would deny that God even speaks or has ever spoken to him.

But if he treasures God's voice, however, it comes to him—through the scriptures, through his conscience, through the inner prompting of God—and responds to Him with obedience, then his heart would be softened, and his ears would always be able to hear the whisper of God into his soul.

The boy chose to stay. If he had chosen differently, he would have begun the path toward nominal discipleship. Perhaps he never would have rejected the faith overtly. He might have even chosen to be a faithful attendee at a church and been by everyone else's estimation a good man, but he would no longer be a close Jesus-follower.

I want you to hear the voice of God! I don’t want you to miss it… I want you to have a conversation with the Almighty. I’m hoping that throughout the series you’re becoming more aware of the voice of God.