How to Follow Jesus Today

Have you ever wanted to hear God’s voice more clearly? Or, have you sensed that God might be speaking something to you, but you have desired more certainty that it is God who is speaking, and not your thoughts or emotions?

Jesus’s first invitation to his disciples is clear — “Follow me” (Matthew 4:19).

Yet, we often confuse following Jesus with a whole host of (I would argue) secondary things — subscribing to certain doctrines, going to church, imitating Jesus’s ethics devoid of any real relationship with him, and on and on.

I’m not denying the importance of any of these things, I’m just saying that they should come after that first initial call — “Follow Me.”

I have to ask this morning: are we following Jesus? Do you know where he is moving in our lives and how to take steps towards him?

What’s required to truly follow Jesus in the day-to-day is an ongoing, conversational relationship with Jesus. We have to know what he is saying to follow him.

How was the topic of hearing God’s voice treated in the tradition you grew up in? For some, hearing God’s voice was equivalent to making sure we spend daily time reading the Bible. For others, hearing God’s voice was akin to the gift of prophecy — hearing supernatural, revelatory things for the sake of self or others.

Biblically, I would argue that hearing God’s voice is most often intricately tied to the idea of God as a Shepherd or a leader. Consider these words from Jesus in the Gospel of John:

Jesus is echoing the famed Psalm 23, and essentially saying: “I am the Good Shepherd. I am the One who will lead you in paths of righteousness for my name’s sake.”

The key, then, to following Jesus’s leadership is hearing his voice.

Yet, for all of us, God’s voice is often more confusing than clear. Or, people purporting to hear God’s voice have been incorrect, or, even worse, manipulated God’s words to harm us or others.

On top of that, the way that God speaks is usually not through clear commands, but rather through the still small voice (1 Kings 19:12) of pulls, draws, pictures, images, metaphors, feelings, senses, or impressions.

God’s communication style isn’t meant to frustrate us — although, if we’re honest, it might feel frustrating at times — it’s meant to do something in us. God is far more interested in us becoming people who live in an ongoing conversational relationship with him than people who treat God like a vending machine — only going when we need a “word” and nothing else.

Writes Philosopher Dallas Willard:

So, what does this mean for us today?

It means that to follow Jesus today, we need to create space to listen to the still, small voice of the Holy Spirit.

Just like it would be hard to pick your spouse or friend’s voice out of a crowd shouting altogether, it also means we have to quiet down some other voices to find space to listen to God. That can mean cultivating a quiet space in the morning, going on a walk at lunch, or simply taking a moment before we officially retire to bed (or all three).

And, it means we need to be far more interested in cultivating the ongoing pauses and stops to listen as well as the inner quiet disposition of the heart that’s ready and willing to hear.

So, I’d love to invite you to pray today.

And to pray both without needing God to speak (just being with him is enough!) but also open if there’s anything he’d like to speak.

Pray this today:

• Take a few deep breaths. Maybe as you breath in, pray “The Lord is,” and as you breath out, pray “my Shepherd.” Then, because you probably need it, take a few more deep breaths!

• As you come to a place of quiet, simply listen without any fear, anxiety, or anxious expectation. See if you feel drawn (or pulled) towards any specific word, phrase, Scripture passage, or idea.

• As you identify feeling drawn towards a particular thing, ask God about it! Perhaps use Ephesians 1:17 as your guide, asking that God would “give you a spirit of wisdom and revelation as you come to know him” (NRSVUE).

• Then (and this is the most important part): continue the conversation! Keep talking to him until its the most natural thing in the world to have an ongoing, conversational relationship with God!