In every stage of our lives, we need God’s guidance. His
input on everything from relationships, to jobs, to purchases, to how, where, when,
and with whom we spend our time, is necessary. So, how can we hear God’s voice?
To hear anyone’s voice we must be quiet, we must be focused on their voice, and
we must value what they say.
1 Kings 19:11-12 says, “A great and powerful wind tore the mountains apart and shattered the rocks before the Lord, but the Lord was not in the wind. After the wind there was an earthquake, but the Lord was not in the earthquake. After the earthquake came a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire. And after the fire came a gentle whisper.” Circumstances, both mundane and disastrous, can seem so important, so distracting, that we can’t hear God—until we quiet our bodies and our minds.
Sometimes there are outside influences in our lives that we need to mute so we can hear God’s voice. They can be physical noises—televisions, phones, crowds, machinery—or the noises can come from within—those inner voices that doubt God, self-criticize undeservedly, or swirl with worry.
How do we recognize God’s voice? What does it sound like? For me, God’s voice can be as quiet as a whisper that I sense when I truly “tune in” to God. Other times it is as booming as thunder, His leading as obvious as a strike of lightning. When I need a bit of a “hearing aid”, His voice can come from the mouth of another human being. Most often, His voice echoes off the pages of His Word.
Psalm 85:8 says, “I listen carefully to what God the Lord is saying.” Are we listening for God’s voice today? Are there extraneous noises we need to shut out so we can hear Him more clearly? Do we need the “hearing aid” of a fellow Christian to help us discern God’s voice from our own or from the voices of the world? Isaiah 30:21 encourages us that God wants to speak to us! “Whether you turn to the right or to the left, your ears will hear a voice behind you, saying, ‘This is the way; walk in it.’”
Be encouraged!
