Hearing God's Voice: An Overview

 

 

Certainly, we hear God through His Word, but today I want to talk about hearing His voice apart from Bible-reading, even though that obviously should be a part of the whole equation.

Sometimes when I’ve said things like “I heard the Lord say such-and-such,” I’ve gotten funny looks from people. At other times, those to whom I was speaking knew exactly what I was talking about because they’d experienced the same thing. The truth is, it should be more foreign for us as Christians to not hear a specific word from God than it is to hear one. We are New Testament believers, and the New Testament is full of the Lord impressing things upon people, giving visions, etc. But also of us, His sheep actually hearing His voice: John 10:27-28 ESV – “My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me. I give them eternal life, and they will never perish, and no one will snatch them out of my hand.”

John 15:26 (ESV) says,  “But when the Helper comes, whom I will send to you from the Father, the Spirit of truth, who proceeds from the Father, he will bear witness about me.” In order to bear witness, one needs to be speaking and sharing. Galatians 4:6 indicates that the Holy Spirit within us causes us to cry out to God: “And because you are sons, God has sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, crying, “Abba! Father!” Psalm 145:18a declares, “The LORD is near to all who call upon Him…” And because He is near, He is waiting to communicate with us. Jeremiah 33:3 (NKJV) – “'Call to Me, and I will answer you, and show you great and mighty things, which you do not know.'”

So how do we go about hearing Him? We often hear God’s words “in our own voice,” so to speak—since He uses our minds to communicate His message, it’s easy to think ‘oh, that was probably just me.’ As I see it, our spirits act as a sort of universal translator. The more immersed in His presence we are, the easier it is to know that it’s God who is speaking. We have to separate ourselves from our circumstances and “get away” with Him. When I begin my time with the Lord by praising Him for who He is, then thanking Him for all He has done and is doing, I find that I am more sensitive to the voice of the Holy Spirit.

Some of the things that help me to know that it’s God’s voice I’m hearing: 1) I feel a sense of peace or joy inside. It’s something that wells up from the inside, and I know that I am “in the hearing zone,” so to speak. 2) I think ‘that definitely wasn’t me.’ This happens when God says something I was not even remotely thinking of or would probably not have come up with—it’s contrary to the workings of my own mind, so I know it’s God doing the talking. 3) It’s the opposite of all the discouraging things I’ve recently thought or heard. The enemy is going to pour on guilt and shame and discouragement. God never does that. 4) It’s a word that is calling me to a challenge. By “challenge,” I mean that it’s calling me above my circumstances, to do something that will require His help. 5) When it’s a word from God, my heart grabs hold of it, as if to say ‘yes, God, that’s you.’

Hearing God’s voice is not an exact science…it isn’t a science at all—it’s a heart connection with God. The more time we spend with Him, the more closely connected we are to His heart, so that we begin to even think the same thoughts He thinks—we are internalizing the heart and mind of God—not in its entirety, of course—I’m not saying that. What I am saying is that it is possible to have a friendship with God through which much of what we’re hearing is more easily interpreted. It’s like when you have a best friend—you sometimes don’t need a lot of words to communicate things to each other; you just know what the other person meant. And I believe it is possible to develop this kind of close communion with God as well.

God so desires for us to know that we’re hearing Him that He will often confirm what He has said through other people. Or even through songs…or bumper stickers. I’ve found that the Lord will use just about anything to get His point across—and it’s a true delight when one doesn’t miss it! When there’s a “theme” that keeps coming up, God is telling you something.

God doesn’t speak to me in just one way. I find that He is very multi-dimensional, complex, and creative. Since we are created in His image, why would we expect Him to be any less?! Sometimes when God speaks, I will see a picture. At other times, I’ll be given a series of words. Or I may hear a word, but it’s not totally clear. Perhaps it’s just the beginning of a word like “sha-“ and I will keep listening for what fits—“shan, shandow,…oh, shadow” – and when I get the right word, it’s like my spirit goes ding, ding, ding. Then, I ask the Lord “What about “shadow”?” Let’s say He told me that I was living in the shadow of others. He might bring to remembrance a word He spoke to me in the past. God actually did speak to me in a couple different ways in the past about this word—one time in particular, the word was that I was not meant to live in the shadows.

I find that the Lord often reminds His children of things He’s spoken in the past—He may speak it in a different way, or even add something  to it, but He doesn’t want us to forget those things. They are significant, so don’t be surprised if He brings them up again.

In order to hear God’s voice, you must believe that He is there—present—speaking, and have an expectation that He will answer you. Hebrews 11:6 promises that “He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him.” He will definitely make Himself known to those who truly want a relationship with Him. I am not talking about punching a time-clock; I’m talking about the condition of your heart. Even if you’re struggling to spend time with the Lord, He knows your heart and will still speak to you. You are His child, and you’re precious to Him. And the more time we spend talking to God and hearing, the more rewards we will see—because He’s just that good.