God is faithful. He wants us to listen to Him. He even goes out of His way to get our attention when we aren’t listening. My computer gives me a warning so I know I’m disconnected and not receiving signals. God sends warning notices to our spirit as well.
This message may come in the form of an unsettled spirit. When God wanted to get a message to King Ahasuerus he kept him from sleeping (Esther 6:1). If you feel restlessness in your spirit, an unsettled feeling, like something is wrong or missing, take that as God’s warning that He wants your attention. Listen to what He has to say.
Another form this message can take is an unsolicited word from another person. This could be an admonition or a correction. God sent Nathan to David with such a message after David sinned with Bathsheba and then didn’t confess his sin (2 Samuel 12:1). This could even take the form of complements and words of appreciation or approval which help us get our eyes off ourselves and onto God.
The third type of warning message from God is unusual circumstances, both good and bad. Paul alerted the Corinthians to the fact that, because of unconfessed sin, many of them were sick and some had died (1 Corinthians 12:29-30). Illness, accidents, bankruptcies, failures, divorced, disappointments – all these and other means may be used to get someone’s attention and come back to God. This isn’t to say that this is the only reason for negative things to happen, nor that all bad things are God’s way of getting our attention, but it is certainly something to consider.
God not only uses negative things to get our attention, but also positive. Sometimes God sends blessing to get us to listen to Him again. “Or do you show contempt for the riches of his kindness, tolerance and patience, not realizing that God’s kindness leads you toward repentance?” (Romans 2:4)
So we see that God gets our attention by giving us a restless spirit, an unsolicited word from another person, unusual circumstances, both good and bad, and also by unanswered prayer.
Sometimes, when it seems the heavens are closed and God isn’t hearing us, God simply wants us to try harder to connect with Him. While this certainly isn’t the only reason for what we call ‘unanswered’ prayer, sometimes God does use it to make us more desperate to hear from Him so we examine our lives for sin and listen all the closer to Him.
Do you notice any of these in your life right now? Could it be that God is trying to get your attention, to let you know you have lost your connection with Him and not listening to Him? If so confess any sin He points out and take time to open your heart and listen.
(If I can answer questions or offer personal counsel, or if you would like a free copy of my Spiritual Warfare Handbook, email me at Jerry@ChristianTrainingOrganization.org or download it from http://sw.christiantrainingonline.org/. My next book, Spiritual Warfare in the Bible, which is a more advanced treatment of spiritual warfare, is also available there for free.)