We’ve all been there. We want to find and see God in others, but we run into our share of roadblocks. These hurdles can be frustrating and disheartening. If we want to find God in others, it’s important that we are able to tune into God’s voice. Hearing God is essential to not only growing in our relationship with God, but also in finding God in others. Yet, just easy as it is for us to speak to Him, most Christians have a hard time listening to God and hearing His voice. Despite these issues, we can hear God and see Him in those around us. Here are six ways to find God in others.
Trust God’s Voice
As previously mentioned, finding God in others requires that we be able to hear what God is telling us. It’s important to remember that listening to God begins with a genuine desire to hear from Him. God has spoken to us through those who were inspired to write the words of Scripture. His Word is still going forth and speaking to us. Our choice is whether or not we will heed the message of Bible verses about listening to God and listen to those around us who speak His Word.
Practice Patient
Finding God in others sometimes requires patience. Not everyone will reflect God in a way that’s so easy for us to see. Listening to God requires patience. Some days, it is a lot harder to be patient. When we’re bringing our concerns to the Lord again and again, we grow tired of waiting. It soon begins to feel like our prayers are falling on deaf ears. Often our desire is to take control and just “do the best we can;” it is our fleshly reaction to the silence. We know Galatians 5 lists patience as a fruit of the Holy Spirit, so we confess our desire to rule our own lives. We ask the Spirit to fill us, empowering and directing us even as we continue to wait on the Lord.
We receive this strength by being filled with the Spirit. As Christians, we know that the ultimate source of patience lives within us. Our role is to trust that the Holy Spirit does live within us, and ask Him for strength to persevere in whatever situation we find ourselves in.
Believe That God is Interceding
If we want to find God in others, it’s important that we believe God is trying to speak to us through this person. If you’ve been able to find God in someone, know that this is God’s doing. He is interceding. It’s imperative that you expect God to speak to you. Through Christ, and the power of His Holy Spirit, God wants to speak to you one a one-on-one basis, every day. If you believe that God doesn’t want to speak to you, it’s likely you won’t be able to hear His voice. However, when you receive the fullness of the Holy Spirit whom Jesus promised to send us, hearing God’s voice becomes a natural way of life. The Bible tells us the Father will give His Spirit to all who seek (Luke 11:13). The Holy Spirit will help you understand the Bible so you will know how to apply its wisdom to your life. As Christians, we each have the ability to hear from God and be led by the Holy Spirit daily.
Make Sure Your Heart is Humble
One of the reasons it’s so difficult to find God in other people is because of the status of heart. We don’t always want to see God in other people based on how we may view that person or issues that are plaguing our hearts. Also, the most difficult part of hearing God is the fact that it takes time to learn to discern God’s voice. It also takes a humble heart. The Bible tells us, “Then you will call upon Me and go and pray to Me and I will listen to you. And you will seek Me and find Me, when you search for Me with all your heart” (Jeremiah 29:12-13). We are not in a position to make demands of God. But we can ask, seek and knock, and the Bible promises that God will open the door. God will reveal Himself to those who seek Him humbly.
Hear What God is Telling You About Someone Else
God may be trying to tell you something important about someone. It’s not always easy discerning what God is telling us about other people let alone finding God in them. Truly listening to God is an art that requires training and discipline. It’s very difficult to hear God’s voice when we are listening to every other voice besides His. The writer of Hebrews tells us that we can train our ears to recognize the voice of God above all the noise. If we want to find God in others, it’s important that we hear the Holy Spirit and recognize the ways He is speaking and working through us. Jesus said, “He who has ears [to hear], let him be listening and let him consider and perceive and comprehend by hearing” (Matthew 13:9). Pray that God will give you a hearing heart to listen and to obey.
Focus on God’s Love
One of the greatest ways to find God in others is to focus on God’s love. God wants to lead you to all the good things He has in store for you. When you’re having trouble finding God in others, it’s vital to remember how much God loves every single person including that person that you’re trying to see God in. John 3:16 is an incredible reminder of God’s love for us, “For God so loved the world that He gave His only Son, so that everyone who believes in Him may not perish but may have eternal life.” No matter how silent He seems, His love is incredible and it never ends, even when we can’t hear God’s voice or see Him in someone else. God’s Word tells us to acknowledge Him in all our ways, and He will direct our paths (Proverbs 3:6). When we trust God, we accept His love and influence in our very lives.
Your life can be radically transformed when you can begin to see God in others. Even when we can’t hear His voice, God is constantly speaking to us and giving us direction, especially regarding the people around us. Believe that God is already speaking and start listening.
