Christians Have 'Misconception' About How God Communicates, Pastor Robert Morris Says
Christians frequently have the misconception that God communicates loudly in a cannot-miss way but they need to understand that God's way of speaking requires faith, Pastor Robert Morris says.
Morris, who serves as pastor of Gateway Church in Southlake, Texas, said in a recent interview with The Blaze's The Church Boys faith and culture podcast that he believes many Christians have a "misconception" about how God talks to them.
While believers may be expecting God to speak to them in a booming voice, Scripture shows us that God often communicates in more subtle ways, and therefore we must use our faith as a guide when trying to listen to God.
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As Christians are "bombarded daily" with temptation other sinful things, God is in fact trying to speak with us, Morris told Billy Hallowell and Chris Field of The Church Boys podcast.
"God is a speaking God, a communicating God, and he created us with the ability to communicate […] God wants to communicate," the pastor said, adding that God wants to continue to instruct us because he loves having fellowship with his children.
The pastor points to 1 Kings 19:11-13, in which God is described as a "gentle whisper."
"Then a great and powerful wind tore the mountains apart and shattered the rocks before the Lord, but the Lord was not in the wind. After the wind there was an earthquake, but the Lord was not in the earthquake. After the earthquake came a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire. And after the fire came a gentle whisper," the verses read.
These verses, Morris explains, shows that Christians have to make an effort to hear God through faith.
The pastor uses the example of two Christians bonding over the same Bible passage as evidence that God speaks to us through our faith.
When we follow the mentality that "God [is] impressing me, He [is] guiding me, He [is] putting that thought in my mind, He [is] speaking to me," then it takes away some of the mystery we feel in our relationship with Him, the pastor says.
"I think if we take away some of the misconception and the mystery of God speaking, we'll understand we've been hearing God for quite a while," Morris tells The Church Boys.
The pastor goes on to say that God wants to communicate with His children, and therefore while it is important to avoid praying for the wrong thing, such as a selfish desire, God also isn't intimidated by our misdirected prayers and will ultimately steer us in the right direction.
"it really doesn't intimidate God that we pray the wrong prayer," Morris says. "He can change our motives […] change our thinking."
Additionally, it's important for Christians to remember that saying our prayer to God is only the first half of the entire experience.
The other very important half is listening to what God says in response.
Morris, who heads one of the largest evangelical churches in the country, appeared on The Church Boys to discuss his new book, Frequency: Tune In. Hear God, which discusses how Christians can hear God, whether it be "through the Bible, through circumstances, or even through a whisper."
