Have you ever experienced those days when you just wanted to hear Jesus talk? You may have felt so lonely that you just wanted to hear His voice. You just wanted to know if He were truly there and that He wasn’t just a myth or a fictional character you’ve read in books.
You recall how He talked to the prophets and the saints. You read how He spoke to those He healed. And you wanted Him to heal you, too. But how do you ever hear His voice? Is it still possible to hear Him amidst this dark and broken world?
Jesus clearly said, “Ask, and it shall be given you: seek, and you shall find: knock, and it shall be opened to you.” (Matthew 7:7, DRA)
Why then do we seek His voice and not hear?
Perhaps the problem is not that He isn’t there to talk to us. Our problem could be that some things are hindering us from actually hearing Him.
Below are some of the things that may hinder us from hearing Jesus when He speaks:
1. Our head could be so full of other things
It’s not easy to hear someone talking when we’re busy thinking of so many things. It’s the same with God. How can we hear Him when a thousand worries are always in our heads?
“I would willingly speak to many souls, but the world makes so much noise in their hearts that they cannot hear my voice.” – Jesus to St. Teresa
2. We could be afraid of changing our lives
Hearing Jesus doesn’t mean we’d only hear comforting words. We know that we can hear Him urging us to do something uncomfortable or even difficult. If He ever asks us to change our lives, would we?
3. We’re ashamed of our sins
One thing that can truly block us from hearing God is our guilt. When we feel so sinful and unworthy, we sometimes think it’s not possible for Him to talk to us anymore.
What we should realize, however, is that we need Him all the more during such times. Is He not the One who alone can save us from our sins? Isn’t He the fountain of Divine Mercy?
4. We may not be spending enough time in prayer
“Prayer is the inner bath of love into which the soul plunges itself.” – St. Jean Marie Vianney
Without prayer, how can we have the opportunity to talk to God? We may be devoting so much of our time elsewhere but when it comes to praying, we often run out of time.
Jesus is always waiting for us. But are we available enough?
5. We don’t read the Bible
Talking to God begins by sincerely seeking His words. And where else do we find them but in the Holy Scriptures?
Let us take time each day to know Jesus by reading the Holy Bible. There, we can find Him preaching the Good News, comforting the afflicted and giving hope and peace to those who are lost.
Letting Jesus Talk
“In solitude God converses familiarly with his beloved souls, and there he makes them hear those words that melt their hearts with holy love, as the sacred Spouse said, My heart melted when my Beloved spoke [Cant 5:6].”- St. Alphonsus de Liguori
Jesus lives and He yearns to talk with us. While we cannot understand why He sometimes remains silent for our sake, we can prepare ourselves and seek every opportunity to listen to Him.
Let us read the Bible, spend time in prayer and lift our minds on heavenly things. For He is there watching over us, and He continues to speak to those who sincerely seek His voice.
“You shall call on me, and you shall go and pray to me, and I will listen to you. You shall seek me, and find me, when you search for me with all your heart.” – Jeremiah 12, WEB-BE
“I live with God; and despite being on walks, we converse with each other without anyone being able to surprise us or interrupt us. If you knew Him enough, you would love Him. If you were with Him for one hour, you’d know just what heaven on earth is.” – St. Teresa of Jesus of the Andes
You may also want to read “Can You Imagine The Ecstasy Of The Holy Saints?”
Jocelyn Soriano writes about the relationships and the Catholic life at Single Catholic writer. You may also want to see her book “What Should You Look Forward To In Heaven?”