A review by booknerd_therapist
Hearing God: Developing a Conversational Relationship with God by Dallas Willard

5.0

I positively adore this book. It is written in a simple, plain style that anyone can read and understand, but it is best read slowly, as a topic of this magnitude is no small undertaking. The author takes on some controversial topics but deals with them in a gentle and logical manner; for example, the misconception that a life guided by God is easy or risk-free, or that divine guidance means were are singled out to be special. He plainly says that anyone can develop a conversational with God, and that God will never try to trick us into doing the wrong thing. What I found most important in reading this book was the chapter in which the author leads us to examine our motives in wanting to speak to God. He warns against trying to "use" God so that we can exalt ourselves to a place of spiritual authority; approaching God with fear and insisting that he direct every aspect of our lives so that we can feel "safe;" and treating God as a kind of "cosmic butler" that should be at our beck and call to clean up our messes. Instead, the author gently leads the reader into wanting to live in freedom as one of God's children, and then shows us how we can do it. I highly recommend this book to any Christian who is serious about hearing God.