We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ. 2 Corinthians 10:5.

This morning in our prayer group we talked about how we discern God’s voice talking with us, what does that sound like…how do we know it’s God and not our own imaginations? And what we were really talking about is how do we walk close to God? If you had a choice would you choose a closer walk with God? How do you get there? We realized that being open to God is to first realize that He does talk to us. Not only that, He listens to us. Is that your experience of God?

The Scripture verse quoted above was in Hearing God by Dallas Willard. A book devoted to how to Hear God. How do we start? We start with the longing to be with God and to hear His words. A simple prayer…Lord, help me be with You. Help me know You. With that desire comes the longing to read about God through Scripture because He has interacted with people from the very beginning and we want to know Him. How can He not? How can we not? We are His creation, the work of His hands, made in His image. Demolishing arguments…captive…obedient – is not taken in a negative harsh way when you walk with God. When you walk with God you come to know His peace even amidst storms ever present in this world that seeks understanding where none is. People argue all the time and the noise is deafening. People want to take us captive and obedient to their viewpoint and we do the same with others. God’s heart is for us to know Him. As we begin to listen to His voice, so quiet, we hear with our hearts. God loves us. He has us. Be still. Trust Him. The problems of this world remain clamoring for attention. We can find rest from the unending urgency of them in our time with God. What we begin to understand is that God is bigger than any problems and once we understand that, we begin to trust Him with every problem – not to be solved in human incomplete understanding, but in the wisdom, love and timing of our eternal Creator God.

As I read our chapter today, Nehemiah 7, I couldn’t help but think about our relationship with God today compared to then. The walls had been completed, the gates hung in Jerusalem. There are still those opposed and so Nehemiah posted guards to protect the people before and after the gates are opened to allow merchants to enter, v. 1-3. A census was done and only those priests that could prove they were descended from Israel were allowed to eat from the most sacred food until it could be proven. They used the Urim and Thummim just as they did in Moses’s time for answers from God. That was their assurance.

What about us? We have so much more! We have the whole of Scripture showing us what God has done and is doing still. We have a Creator God – Father, Son, Spirit – clearly shown in Scripture that He is involved in our world. That didn’t end when Scripture writing was ended. God helps us to see that we are loved. It’s personal. He speaks to each one of us when we have ears to hear, eyes to see and hearts open to Him. It begins where it always begins. The beginning. Your beginning is your intimate conversation of longing for God to help you know Him. He hears you. He hears your heart. Take His hand. He’s here…always!