When you hear from God

Daniel 2:17-20  17 Then Daniel went to his house and told his friends Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah about the matter, 18 urging them to ask the God of heaven for mercy concerning this mystery, so Daniel and his friends would not be killed with the rest of Babylon’s wise men. 19 The mystery was then revealed to Daniel in a vision at night, and Daniel praised the God of heaven 20 and declared: May the name of God be praised forever and ever, for wisdom and power belong to Him. 

God speaks.  But it isn’t always easy to hear Him, is it?  It isn’t always easy to know what direction He is leading us.  So we keep on praying, keep on asking, keep on seeking.  It can be tiring and requires patience.  Then it comes, that still small voice.  Or maybe He gives us a dream or a vision.  It is a glorious thing to hear from our God, a marvelous feeling to hear His direction.

So what do you do when you hear from God?  What is your response?  There are some obvious answers like “obey His instructions” or “have peace in my situation.”  But there is a response that should come before all that.  It was Daniel’s response and we can learn from it.  You see, Daniel declared, “May the name of God be praised.”   His first response was to praise God and bring glory to Him.  He made it known that the wisdom he was about to share was from the Lord, not him.

This is the proper response to hearing from God: praise Him.  Thank Him for loving you and for speaking to you.  Give Him glory and honor.  Doing so will keep you heart in the right place, a place of surrender to Him.  And as you walk out a surrendered heart, you are setting yourself up for hearing from Him over and over again.