Good Morning Friends,
Henry Blackaby often reminded us that the Christian life is not about asking God to join us in what we are doing, it is about adjusting our lives to join God in what He is already doing. That is the heartbeat of Experiencing God: God is always at work around you. God speaks. God invites you. And when you respond, your life is changed. But the challenge is real. We like to act first and pray later. We like to plan and then ask God to bless our plans. And even when we do listen, we must discern whether the voice we hear is truly God’s, because Scripture warns us that the enemy can disguise himself as an angel of light. So today, we take a deep dive into Scripture to learn where God speaks, how His people hear, and how His voice leads us into His work, especially among the least, last, and lost. And finally we will weave in Sam Shoemaker’s vision from I Stand at the Door, because If God is working among those who are searching, hurting, and wandering, that is exactly where you should expect to find Him. So, How Do You Experience God?
Scripture and Commentary
Adam and Eve — The Voice Walking in the Garden (Genesis 3:8–10)
They heard “the sound of the Lord God walking” and His voice calling, “Where are you?” This is the earliest human encounter with God’s voice. It is relational, seeking, pursuing even in sin. God is always the One who comes toward us first.
Abraham — The Voice of Covenant and Calling (Genesis 12; 22)
“Go to the land I will show you.” “Take your son… and offer him.” Abraham’s entire life becomes a journey shaped by the voice of God. When God speaks, His words always lead to obedience.
Moses — The Voice from the Burning Bush (Exodus 3)
God calls Moses by name from a flame that does not consume. Theophany becomes mission: “I will send you to Pharaoh.” When God speaks, He invites us to join Him in His work.
Samuel — The Voice in the Night (1 Samuel 3)
“Samuel, Samuel.” Samuel responds with the prayer every disciple must learn: “Speak, Lord, for Your servant is listening.”
Elijah — The Voice in the Whisper (1 Kings 19)
God is not in the wind, earthquake, or fire, but in a gentle whisper. God’s voice is often quiet enough to miss if the heart is noisy.
David — The Voice of Guidance and Correction (2 Samuel 7; Psalm 23; Psalm 51)
David hears God through prophets, prayer, and personal encounters. He models a heart that listens even when the voice confronts sin.
Isaiah — The Voice in the Temple Vision (Isaiah 6)
“Whom shall I send?” “Here am I. Send me.” Theophany becomes commissioning.
Ezekiel — The Voice of Glory and Mystery (Ezekiel 1–3)
God speaks through visions of glory, wheels, fire, and the Spirit. God is not bound by geography. He speaks even in exile.
Mary — The Voice of Announcement (Luke 1)
“You will conceive… and bear a son.” Mary responds with surrender: “Let it be to me according to Your word.”
Paul — The Voice on the Damascus Road (Acts 9)
“Saul, Saul, why do you persecute Me?” The risen Christ still speaks and still calls.
Jesus — The Voice Made Flesh (John 1; John 10)
Jesus is not merely one who hears God’s voice, He is the voice. The Word becomes flesh so humanity can hear God clearly, personally, and redemptively.
John the Revelator — The Voice Like a Trumpet (Revelation 1)
John hears a voice “like a trumpet,” then sees the risen Christ walking among the churches. Theophany becomes revelation for the whole Church.
Message: Before there was sin, before there was hiding, before there was fear, there was the Voice. Genesis does not begin with humans searching for God. It begins with God walking toward humanity. Even after the fall, God does not withdraw. He comes into the brokenness, into the shame, into the hiding places. The Voice in the Garden is not abandonment, it is pursuit. And John tells us plainly: The Voice in the Garden is the Word made flesh. The One who walked in Eden now walks in Galilee. The One who called Adam now calls fishermen. The One who asked, “Where are you?” now says, “Follow Me.” Theophany becomes Incarnation. God still walks toward us. God still calls us out of hiding. God still speaks mercy into our shame. God still reveals Himself through His Word. God still comes close to us in Jesus Christ. Theophany is not ancient history. It is the pattern of God’s heart. He still walks toward us. He still calls us out of hiding. He still speaks mercy into our shame. He still reveals Himself through His Word. He still comes close to us in Jesus Christ. The Voice in the Garden is the Voice in the Gospel, the same God, the same pursuit, the same love. And a pattern emerges for those who hear God’s voice as well.Those who hear God’s voice share three traits: They are available. Samuel in the night. Mary in her humility. Elijah in his exhaustion. They are honest. David in repentance. Moses in fear. Isaiah in unworthiness.They are changed. Paul becomes an apostle. Abraham becomes a father of nations. Joseph becomes a savior for his family. God’s voice is never merely informational, it is transformational.
And So, when Sam Shoemaker said, “I stand by the door.” I think he meant that he stayed close to the place where people enter the life of God, where the searching, hurting, wandering, and broken gather, where they hear God’s voice. If God is working among the least, last, and lost, that is exactly where you should expect to find Him. Shoemaker reminds us: “Some need to find the door.” And many stand just outside it, afraid to enter, unsure of grace, longing for hope.
Experiencing God means joining Him there, at the door, at the margins, at the prison where Paul sang, at the well where Jesus met the Samaritan woman, not just in worship at the throne where the Lamb gathers people from every tribe and tongue. Revelation 4–5 shows us the end of the story: the Lamb worshiped, the nations gathered, the redeemed singing.There is no more evangelism here. But Shoemaker reminds us where the story begins for many: at the door. And we should not forget them because that is where God is working today. That is where we can experience God in the best way possible, helping others to hear what we hear and to see and feel what we see and feel.
Pray Lord God, we understand that You are the Voice that walked in Eden, the Word who became flesh, the God who seeks us even when we hide. Pray You call us out of our fear. Pray You speak Your mercy into our shame. Pray You walk with us in the cool of the day, and let Your presence be our peace. Pray that as You appeared in the Garden, and as You appeared in Christ, appear again in our hearts today. Pray You make us available, honest, and willing to be changed. Pray You make us people who stand at the door ready to join You where You are working, ready to guide the searching, ready to love the hurting, ready to welcome the lost. Pray You let Your Word dwell richly within us, and let Your voice guide our steps. Pray in the name of Jesus, the Word made flesh, Amen.
Blessings,
John Lawson
Daily Devotionals 