Hearing from God

We might hear people say, ‘God called me to …’ or ‘I heard God’s voice to …’ or ‘God showed me that I needed to …’. But what does it actually mean to ‘hear’ God in this way?

Also, does hearing from God always involve burning bushes (eg, Moses) or blinding lights (eg, Paul)? And most important of all, can we all hear from God or is it just for a select bunch?

God is speaking

The great news is that all of us can hear God’s voice! The Bible talks about God standing at our door and knocking, waiting for us to hear his voice and respond to it (Revelation 3:20).

How we respond is by accepting what Jesus did for us in dying on the cross. And when we do, the following verse becomes true for us: ‘You are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus’ (Galatians 3:26). So, having accepted Jesus, God loves you and considers you his son or daughter. And like any good dad, he loves to both listen and to speak with his kids.

How God speaks

Before Jesus came, it was up to priests to hear from God on behalf of all the people. Now, because of Jesus, we are all considered priests and can have direct communication with God (Hebrews 10:19-22). In the Bible we read about God speaking through burning bushes, angels, and even donkeys, and God can still speak in dramatic ways. But most of the time God’s voice isn’t so extreme.

Elijah was a great example. One day he was waiting to hear from the Lord when this happened:

… 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. (1 Kings 19:11-12)

God was in the gentle whisper. And this, more often than not, is the way that God speaks to us. It’s an inner ‘knowing’ or peace; a Bible verse that resonates in your heart; a compelling feeling or a word that just suddenly comes to mind. It’s gentle, but can also be incredibly compelling. 

Test what you hear

Of course, with something so gentle, it can be easy to confuse God’s voice with your own thoughts and ideas. For this reason it’s always a good idea to test the message.

Say thank you to God for his message, write it down exactly as you heard it, and carry on praying or worshipping. Ask God to speak again and see if you receive the same message, and/or whether you still have the same peace you had the first time. Repeat this checking process several times. If you’re uneasy about it, be prepared to let it go—listening to God is something to be practised and you won’t have it perfected from the word ‘go’.

Also, be sure to evaluate the message alongside the Bible. Does it line up with the character of God? Similarly, bounce the idea off other Christians and ask them to pray about it.

Expectant stillness

During his three-year ministry, Jesus spent lots of time praying alone. He would remind himself who God the Father was and who he was as God’s Son (that is why Jesus starts his model prayer with ‘Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name …’). By confirming the alignment of the relationship in this way, Jesus is in position to hear from God.

And it’s the same with us. When we pray, we should acknowledge God’s greatness and goodness, declare his victory over sin and death, ask forgiveness, and acknowledge that we are God’s children/servants. By realigning our relationship with God we place ourselves in the best possible space to hear God’s voice. We can take our lead from Psalm 46:10, where God encourages us to ‘Be still, and know that I am God.’

Be encouraged that God wants to speak to you, he uses all sorts of methods (some loud and some gentle), he’s given us tools to check his messages—and all he asks is that we listen.

By Hayden Shearman (abridged from War Cry, 2 July 2011, p10)