Paradox of Hearing God

So question number 1 from chapter 1 of Hearing God is: What is the paradox about hearing God?

The paradox that Willard discusses concerning hearing from God has so many parts. On one side of the paradox is the belief held by so many Christians that hearing from God is a vital component of any faith-filled life. We, well so many of us, see how common it is throughout scripture and we firmly desire it to be real in our lives How many times I have cried out to God, longing to hear his voice, to have him communicate to me. We long to hear God. We long to have his truth clearly spoken into our hearts and to know beyond a shadow of a doubt how to walk in his will. Yes, we long to hear from God.

On the other side though is the fact that we don't truly understand God's speaking to us. We don't understand fully how he communicates to us. Many of us have become saddened or even depressed when a leader declares from the pulpit he has heard from God, yet our own lives are void of God's voice. Maybe he hasn't spoken because he knew it would screw us up because, while our desire to hear him is sincere, our understanding of his speaking is not clear. Maybe he has spoken and we did not know it was him. Is it God or my own sub-conscience? Like Gideon, many of us question God even while he stand directly in front of us, speaking to us so clearly. On this side of the paradox also lies our distrust of those who have claimed God spoke to them only to be proven wrong. Hearing from God has been so manipulated by leaders that it has messed with our thinking concerning the matter. We turn away when yet another leader proclaims he has been given a revelation from the Lord, for we know he is a phoney.

This paradox-our desire to hear God and yet our misunderstanding of God's voice- keeps God at bay in our lives. The Lord speaks to us in relationship and his voice takes many forms, but it is only heard and understood while in relationship with him. This paradox serves as a chasm separating us from him. We long to know God, to hear from him, but this confusion only grows the distance between us. And so we give up, retiring to our lives of religion and formulas, still hoping God will speak but fully believing he is silent.

"Why is it that when we speak to God we are said to be praying but when God speaks to us we are said to be schizophrenic?"
-Lily Tomlin