The Still, Small Voice of God

How often do we say “I’m praying about such-and-such” because we’re seeking an answer to a question we have regarding job change, we need to make a decision regarding aging parents, we’re trying to assess if it’s a good time to pursue buying a home, we need to know what church God wants us in?…it could be any number of things that we’re uncertain about.

We need to hear from God—but I believe that just as much as we want God to direct us and give us clear answers, He wants to direct us and give us clear answers. Jesus said in John 10:27, “My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me.” So why do we sometimes have such a difficult time hearing?

Certainly, there are things we must contend for in prayer, but many times an answer is readily available. Why can’t we seem to get it? Well, we have a tendency to complicate matters. Sometimes it’s through unbelief—we don’t really expect an answer. Sometimes it’s because we think God is going to communicate in some other way than by talking to us—at times, He does; but He also really likes to talk to His kids. We just have to learn to listen. If we have accepted Christ, the Holy Spirit lives inside us—so I’d say He’s pretty much within hearing distance.

Just like when we’re listening to a friend or family member who is telling us something important, we have to quiet our minds to truly understand what they’re saying. If we “tune out,” we’ll miss some crucial details. And we have to be more concerned about what the other person is sharing than what we might want to say. Often I think it goes a bit like this:

“God, I really need to hear you speak to me about this situation.”

“Well, child, what you need to do—“

“I need your answer, Lord. Please reveal it to me.”

“As I was saying, you need to—“

“God, I know you want me to follow you; I just need to know which direction.”

“That’s what I’m trying to tell you. The answer is—“

“O, Lord, let your answer come quickly.”

“Perhaps it would, child, if you’d stop interrupting me.”

I am reminded of the Maranatha song “Open Our Eyes.” The second verse goes:

Open our ears Lord
And help us to listen,
Open our eyes Lord
We want to see Jesus.

It’s not a bad idea to ask the Lord to open our ears—meaning our spiritual ears, so that we can hear the Holy Spirit’s voice. We may also be wise to pray that God would enable us to receive the answer we are given.

Sometimes an answer seems too big for us to accomplish—so we assume that it can’t be from God. Well, if it’s too big for us to do on our own strength, there’s a good chance it is from God. Another common concern is ‘What if that’s just me?’ As believers, we are hard-wired into God’s communication system. As a result of being God’s children, we sound like Him; and we also have begun to think like Him. Or at least be able to receive His thoughts. “But whoever is united with the Lord is one with him in spirit” (I Corinthians 6:17).

Here are a few listening pointers to keep in mind:

1)    When it is God speaking, there will be confirmation—and a level of peace.  It may even sound like something we’ve heard before, because the Holy Spirit may have tried to direct us in the past along the same lines.

2)    Many times I find that the Holy Spirit speaks in single words or short phrases. I think He’s trying to keep the message clear but also simple enough for me not to question it. But don’t always expect words—often The Holy Spirit’s voice comes through spontaneous thoughts, feelings, impressions, and images.

3)    In order to hear, our spiritual eyes need to be turned toward Jesus, just as our ears must be inclined to His Holy Spirit.

4)    If we keep a written record of our prayers and God’s answers, we’ll begin to see that He really does speak to us, which will encourage us in our ability to hear Him.

5)    Most of all, we need to be fully surrendered to Him in that moment. In order to be in that place, we may first need to rid ourselves of baggage—things coming against us from the enemy that have no place with the Holy Spirit—like worry, doubt, anger, feelings of rejection, etc. We need to nail them to the cross and break any agreements we’ve made with them—if we hang onto them, they will keep us from being able to hear the Holy Spirit’s voice. We may still hear, but our reception is askew, which can throw off our perception of the message as well—or when we receive it, because we’re already bogged down—we begin to condemn ourselves for not being in a place to fulfill the word God is giving. That is the enemy’s tactic—so we need to be on guard! I Peter 5:8 warns us, “Be alert and of sober mind. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour.”

6)    Expect a still, small voice. When Elijah waited on the Lord on the mountain at Horeb, the Scripture implies that he was expecting more of a dramatic voice than what he finally heard: “And after the earthquake a fire; but the LORD was not in the fire: and after the fire a still small voice” (I Kings 19:12, KJV). Other translations call it “the sound of a gentle whisper” or “the sound of a gentle blowing.” We’re not listening for a booming voice in our prayer closet—we’re tuning our hearts to the gentle whisper of a loving, promise-keeping God, who wants to give us the truth we seek.

He beckons us, “Call to me and I will answer you and tell you great and unsearchable things you do not know’” (Jeremiah 33:3). Prepare your heart. Call on Him today. And let Him whisper His secrets to you in a still, small voice.