Hearing His Voice #8

[Jesus said,] “There is so much more I want to tell you, but you can’t bear it now.”

John 16:12

We know this is not simply a promise to future writers of the New Testament. Jesus is speaking to the entire inner circle of His disciples (minus Judas). Only three of these men would later pen portions of Scripture, and at least six other followers of Christ who did not hear these words would write more than half of the New Testament. Nor is this a prediction that Jesus would spend some time with them between His resurrection and ascension. The statement implies much more than a few days of conversation. No, this is a promise to speak to all believers, after the Resurrection, on an ongoing basis. We know that early believers expected to hear Christ’s voice—people such as Agabus, Philip’s daughters, members of the Corinthian church, and many more are said to have exercised prophetic gifts. They heard Jesus speak and confidently shared His message with others.

Jesus continues to speak to His people today. He draws us into a relationship with Him; He leads us in ways we need to go; He calls people into ministry; He teaches us the deeper ways of His Spirit; and He speaks through us to others. Long ago, God promised that we would hear a voice telling us which way to go (Isaiah 30:21), and Jesus was very clear that His sheep would know His voice (John 10:3-4, 16, 27). This is normal for our relationship with God.

But in order to hear God’s voice, we must be absolutely convinced that Jesus has plenty to say to us—that “there is so much more” He will share as we grow closer to Him. Without knowing this, we question everything we hear, grow weaker in faith, and consequently hear less. But faith in His desire to communicate will open our ears to all He has to say.

Jesus, strengthen my faith to believe. As I search for the sound of Your voice, help me not to question whether You want to speak. You do—You have made that clear. Help me to hear all that You have to say.