"I know that you are Abraham's descendants, but you seek to kill Me, because My word has no place in you. I speak what I have seen with My Father, and you do what you have seen with your father."
They answered and said to Him, "Abraham is our father."
Jesus said to them, "If you were Abraham's children, you would do the works of Abraham. But now you seek to kill Me, a Man who has told you the truth which I heard from God. Abraham did not do this. You do the deeds of your father."
Then they said to Him, "We were not born of fornication; we have one Father--God."
Jesus said to them, "If God were your Father, you would love Me, for I proceeded forth and came from God; nor have I come of Myself, but He sent Me. Why do you not understand My speech? Because you are not able to listen to My word. You are of your father the devil, and the desires of your father you want to do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaks a lie, he speaks from his own resources, for he is a liar and the father of it. But because I tell the truth, you do not believe Me. Which of you convicts Me of sin? And if I tell the truth, why do you not believe Me? He who is of God hears God's words; therefore you do not hear, because you are not of God." John 8:37-47 NKJV
The Jews that Jesus spoke to here were offended that Jesus did not recognize their standing as devout people. He did not praise their consecration and admire their spirituality. In fact, He questioned their devotion to the point of saying they were devoted to the devil. They had lost the ability to hear God, when He spoke to them face-to-face.
Those of us who are God’s children should expect to hear God’s voice when He speaks to our heart. If we do not hear from God, it means we are spiritually sick and if we ignore our symptoms, they will lead to our death. Jesus uses strong words, but He meant them to be strong. God’s silence should be a wake-up call to a Christian who experiences it. It happens to everyone, but that fact should not make us complacent. Treat the illness!
The times when we read our bible and can’t see any point or message in the words, or when we pray and our words seem to bounce off the ceiling, these are not the times to quit reading or praying. These are the times to re-double our efforts and seek God with tears and fasting. God has not left us; we have left Him. He will be there waiting we return.