You Asked: How Can We Hear God’s Voice?

This week we continued our series “You Asked” with the question, “How can we hear God’s voice?” 

Wouldn’t it be amazing to hear God’s voice? The good news is—you can! Jesus tells us that he is the Good Shepherd, and we are his sheep (John 10:2-4). Sheep know the voice of their shepherd. When you are in a relationship with someone, you know their voice. The same is true in our relationship with God; we can hear and know his voice, and we learn this through experience.

Every Christian can learn to hear and recognize God’s voice. First, ask God to speak to you. When you pray, just as Samuel responded to the Lord’s voice (1 Samuel 3), you can simply say, “Speak, Lord—your servant is listening.” Then, listen to what God says. God is always speaking—are you listening? The Bible shows us numerous ways that God speaks to his people, but the most prevalent ways, according to Dallas Willard, are in conjunction with humans: through the human voice (e.g., listening to sermons, conversations, etc.) and through the human spirit (or that “still, small voice”). The most reliable way we hear that still, small voice of the Lord is through the Bible. God will never say anything that contradicts his Word. When we pay attention to the quality, spirit, and content of God’s voice, and we discern with trusted Christian community, we can know that we are hearing God’s voice.

Finally, as you begin to hear God speak, do what God tells you to do. Luke 11:28 says, “Blessed are those who hear the word of God and obey it.” It is far too easy to ignore God’s promptings and choose disobedience. It takes effort and intentionality to actively listen, to turn down the volume of the world and eliminate distractions, and then to obey God’s direction.

One practice that is helpful is that of lectio divina. This ancient Scripture reading practice, which means “divine reading,” includes reading a passage of scripture slowly, out loud, several times. On the first reading, simply read aloud. On the second reading, ask the Holy Spirit to point out a word or phrase for you to focus on. On the third reading, prayerfully contemplate why the Lord may have highlighted that particular word or phrase, then spend some time meditating on that as you head into the rest of your day. A passage you could start with would be the one we looked at yesterday, 1 Kings 19:9-12.

Isn’t it amazing that the God of the universe speaks to you? The good news is, you can hear and recognize his voice as you get to know him.

Speak Lord, your servant is listening.