Growing up as a young Christian, I struggled with hearing the voice of God. It seemed as though everyone but me was having these crazy spiritual epiphanies. I felt like God just didn’t want to speak to me. God has taught me a lot about how he communicates with us over the past few years and I now know that he’s talking to me every day. Yup, I still struggle to hear his voice at times and you may too. Know that you’re not alone and that God does speak!
Here are a few things that I’ve learnt about hearing God’s voice.
- It’s all about relationship
Having a desire to hear from God is great, but for this to become a reality, it’s important that we’re in relationship with him. Like all relationships in our lives, it’s something we have to work at. God is constantly communicating with us, but we can only learn to recognise his voice and understand his character if we spend time with him. John 10:27 says,
’My sheep listen to my voice; I know them and they follow me.’
We need to place ourselves in a position to hear God’s voice. Some simple ways to do this include spending time in prayer and exploring God’s Word, asking God to reveal what’s on his heart for you and then writing down what you believe he’s saying and even having regular conversations with him like you would with a good friend. Spending time with God in an environment where there are no distractions can also help you hear him more clearly.
- God speaks in many ways
When we think of God communicating with us, we might find ourselves picturing the heavens parting and a booming voice roaring ‘THUS SAITH THE LORD!’ This doesn’t tend to be your typical Christian experience and I’m sure that it’d be a pretty scary one too! In actual fact, God is multi-dimensional and likes to speak to us in a number of ways. Again, this can be through the Bible and prayer or even through things like our life situations, what others say to us and dreams we have. God’s methods of communication are limitless!
- Be obedient
When God speaks to us, we should always act upon it. I’ve definitely been guilty of not doing this, but God’s not going to ignore us if we fail to comply. It’s important to remember that our heavenly Father works in remarkable ways, so when we actively put what he says into practice, we can begin to see the amazing outcomes that he’s intended for our lives.
3 comments
This is a great post, Esther. Straight to the point but packed with impact!
Thanks Michelle!
Thanks Michelle!