Hearing from God

My eldest nephew is now 6 years old and it’s my favorite age so far! His conversational skills are well beyond his years and his questions are always either deep or witty. We talk about Marvel storylines, playground quarrels, 90s cartoons (he’s currently very into Rugrats), and God. We talk a lot about God. Recently he asked,

“Nina, what does God sound like?”

I think what I love most about this age is that there is such a bravery to his curiosity. This question - What does God sound like, is one that many of us have asked, often with a tone of shame attached to it.

“Why can’t I hear God like other people can?”

“What am I saying or doing wrong because I just don’t hear God.”

But he wasn’t ashamed. As a former elementary school teacher, of course the answer came to me in the form of alliteration - the Word, the whisper and the wise.

• The Word - Knowing God is key to recognizing His voice. The Bible is the way we get to know the character, ways and will of God. The Bible is a lamp and a light. It gives us instruction for our present and direction for our future. It is the authority of our life that points to Jesus from beginning to end. We don’t use the Bible as a reflection of us but as a reminder of who God was, is and will continue to be - good, faithful, kind and holy. There is simply no life of hearing God without being in His Word.

• The Whisper - The Bible chronicles the voice and direction of God communicated to different people in different ways. I’m talking clouds, burning bushes, dreams, visions and my favorite, the still small voice. The key here is developing a life of prayer, postured to not only ask, but to listen for the leading, the whisper of God’s voice. Whatever the way, God desires to be in personal communion with us. We hear Him through a life committed to prayer and discerning His voice in that place of abiding in His Presence.

and after the earthquake a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire; and after the fire a still small voice." 1 Kings 19:13

• The Wise - God can speak to us, not only through our individual relationship with Him, but also through our relationships with others. When I’ve been distracted or discouraged, I’ve often heard God through the wise and loving people around me, reminding my heart and mind of the goodness and faithfulness of God. Now I want to be careful here. I’m talking few and wise voices. Not personal opinions but echos and confirmations of what God has already said through His word and in His presence. We must take every word and submit it to the Bible and to prayer. Since I’m in communion, because I’ve committed to a life of prayer without ceasing, I can take the words of the wise or a prophetic word before the God who I know and whose voice I recognize. He always has the final say.

The Purpose of Hearing God’s Voice

I want relationship with Him and not just a transaction in the form of answers from Him. He is the reward, His Presence is the promise. I want to hear God because I want to know and please Him. Hearing from God has as its purpose both relationship and obedience. We want to hear God because we desire to know God and follow His lead.

The Posture & the Practice

The Bible commands us to pray without ceasing (1 Thessalonians 5:17). Hearing from God is not a season. It is not what we do when it’s time to make a big move in life. As disciples, hearing from God must start with a commitment to prayer in every season. Praying without ceasing is rooted in the conviction that God is there, on the other side of our prayers, willing to listen and willing to speak. Sometimes, when I’m struggling to hear God, I’ve had to mute other’s opinions, enter into a time of fasting and intentionally create silence and stillness in my life in order to practice hearing God’s voice.

Which bring me to the practice. Learning God’s voice means practice which means it will take time to grow in it. In the process of our practice, we will make mistakes. There may be times when we hear wrong. When we think we heard God but actually, we were just excited or impatient. Let’s keep practicing anyway. Keep believing that God wants to be found and heard by you.

God sounds like the truth of His word, the whisper of His presence and the wisdom of community.

Let’s posture our hearts and let’s get to practicing because, amiga, you can hear from God too.