Alive - by Dave Smith

there, and Jesus ‘knew’ this, or whether he commanded the fish to
jump in, and they obeyed! What is clear, though, is that this illustration
shows us that Jesus is willing and able to help us, no matter what
sphere of life or circumstance we find ourselves in: ‘He knows more
about the fish than the fishermen! He knows more about accountancy
than the accountant, more about business than the businessman,
more about parenting than parents, more about teaching than
teachers, and more about reaching people with the gospel than we
do. Moreover, He is not just able; He is willing, alive and present with
us by His Spirit, ready to help us in every area of our life and
ministry…even if we don’t recognise Him fully.’ 6
So, how are we to respond? Firstly, by believing that he’s present
with us, and that he wants to speak to us. Secondly, by trusting that
we will hear and recognise his voice. Thirdly, by acting on his
instructions. Before we act, though, it’s important to learn to discern
that it is the Lord, and not our own imagination or some other ‘voice’
speaking to us. There is much that’s been written on this very
important topic, but, for now, it’s worth summarising some of the main
ways that we can hear God’s voice.
A primary way is through the Bible. This is, as we’ve seen in
chapter two, because the Bible is not just a book written by various
human authors, but a book that is divinely inspired (see 2 Timothy
3:16–17; 2 Peter 1:20–21). The more time we spend reading and
reflecting on the Bible, the more we become familiar with God’s
character and his ways. This means that we’re more likely to be able
to ‘tune in’ to what he’s saying and ‘tune out’ any so-called
‘revelations’ that are obviously in conflict with what he has already
said through the Scriptures.
But as well as God speaking through the general counsel of the