New Eldredge Book Shows What It Means to Talk to and Hear from God
Yes, Hear His Voice. Really.
God speaks to people today just as He did in biblical times—in actual conversation, person-to-person, says author John Eldredge. The best-selling author, whose books have sold eight million copies to date, is known for pushing readers out of their comfort zones, beyond the safe Christian life that many settle for. Now, in his new book Walking with God (Thomas Nelson, $22,99, April 2008), he goes even deeper, showing what it means to talk with God. Not one-sided prayers or monologues directed at God, but two-sided conversation.
Hearing God speak in this way is not just for biblical heroes or saints. “An intimate, conversational walk with God is available, and is meant to be normal,” says Eldredge. In fact, he believes, “if you don’t find that kind of relationship with God, your spiritual life will be stunted.” He bases these assumptions on the nature of God and of man, who are communicators, and on the nature of relationship, which requires communication. He points to the Scriptures, which are filled with stories of God speaking to His people, and finally, to the teachings of Jesus, who says that His sheep hear His voice.
Walking with God moves through a year in Eldredge’s life, sharing stories from his journals about his encounters with God—not just the “mountaintop” moments, but the everyday experiences as they are lived out in one man’s life.
Hearing God’s voice is something to be learned, and takes time and practice. The book is a tutorial of sorts, and among the advice are three steps to help prepare oneself:
1) Start with small questions.
2) Repeat the question quietly in your heart to God.
3) Bring yourself to a posture of quiet surrender.
Eldredge sheds light on discerning God’s real voice, and on understanding what battles are putting one’s spiritual life at risk—including warfare waged by Satan and other demons. He reveals his own struggles to hear God, what happened when he ignored Him, and the joy that comes from this kind of conversation with the Creator.
Eldredge finds God often challenges him about the way he lives his life, confronting him with his workaholism, addiction to busyness, and pride—and offering healing. “God is not after just behavior modification, but deep and lasting change,” he says. “I am accepting more than guidance here. Down in my soul where the juncture of my will and my heart meet, I am accepting transformation. The path to freedom from all this pushing and striving involves both repentance and healing so that I can be made whole and holy by his love.”
Even the decision to get a new puppy after his family’s beloved dog dies is an opportunity to walk with God, Eldredge shows. “This is about more than just a puppy. It’s about my yieldedness to God, and it’s about hope. I don’t want to live a defensive life, wary to trust. I want to be open to all God has for me.”
Hearing God in such a direct manner may be a new experience for most people. Eldredge says it wasn’t his experience for years. And he realizes many people may find this odd. But “as Christians we don’t get to live a ‘normal’ life, and accepting that fact in all the details of our lives is what allows us to remain in Jesus Christ,” he writes.
Eldredge’s work, through books such as Wild at Heart, Waking the Dead, and Captivating (cowritten with his wife Stasi), has long focused on challenging Christians to rethink what they’ve been taught about their faith, and to embark on a journey to restore their embattled hearts. Walking with God is another chapter in the breathtaking adventure that the Christian faith is meant to be.
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