My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me…” — John 10:27 KJV
This is the third and final part of my series called How To Hear the Voice of the Lord. I have shared the truth of God’s Word that tells us we CAN know and hear the voice of the Lord and have shared various ways He chooses to speak to us. In this final installment, I share the importance of the written Word of God and I conclude by sharing personal and practical insights I have gained through the years.
The Written Word of God
Even though we have a relationship with the Living Word of God, we have the greatest love letter ever written at our disposal—the Bible! Think about it. God has taken the time to put into writing how He feels about us and all He desires and plans for His children. For someone to put something in writing requires a great deal of confidence…to put one’s deepest feelings in a form all the world can see means that the Writer must really love the one he is writing to. That is God!
I receive many letters and notes of encouragement or words of wisdom from my pastor and others whom I trust and value. I save them all…because I enjoy going back from time to time and refreshing my mind with all I know to be true of our relationship. The life is in the relationship, but the written reminders renew and refresh the joy of that knowledge. So it is and more with God’s Word. His Word does not return void…but always—always—accomplishes whatever it was sent out to do (Isaiah 55:11). Take this love letter out often and use it to deepen the relationship you have with its Author. He speaks volumes through it!
As with any endeavor to somehow explain what we know of God, we eventually come to the point of realizing the most we can ever do is touch or scratch the surface of who He is. The joy for you and me, as believers, is in the journey. What a blessed adventure this life becomes when we simply purpose to live it in relationship—in communion—with our God. He has made a way for us to hear and know Him.
But where do we begin?
Ask God to open up your spiritual ears.
Just as the blind and deaf came seeking to have their eyes and ears opened, we need to see the truth of our need for Jesus…and then follow Him (Matthew 20:33; Mark 7:37). A simple prayer of beginning is to simply ask Him to open up your spiritual ears to better be able to hear His voice—in all of its many facets! You, as a new creation, already have those spiritual ears. As with a child who is learning to walk or speak, he must take that first step or say that first word for the endeavor to be successful. If you never try, you never will! By faith just believe you can hear the Lord…and then simply begin asking the right questions—and listen!
God speaks to those who are listening.
Listen for answers.
Be available. Those who wish to hear must put themselves in a position to listen. What would keep you from listening for His voice?
“My soul waits in silence for God only” — Psalm 62:1 NASB
“My soul, wait in silence for God only, for my hope is from Him.” — Psalm 62:5 NASB
“Then Jesus came with them to a place called Gethsemane, and said to His disciples, “Sit here while I go over there and pray.” — Matthew 26:36 NASB
“And he went a little farther, and fell on his face, and prayed, saying, O my Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me: nevertheless not as I will, but as thou wilt.” — Matthew 26:39 KJV
“And he cometh unto the disciples, and findeth them asleep, and saith unto Peter, What, could ye not watch with me one hour? “ — Matthew 26:40 KJV
I’m so busy! How can I take time to listen?
We make time for things we consider important. If I consider my family to be important, I will spend time with my family—no, I will make time for my family…or my wife…or my job…or my hobby…or my friends, etc. You get the picture. Even when our families or our jobs seem to take a majority of our time, God has the ability to speak to us even in a crowd. So what does that mean for the busy man or woman? We must learn to hear Him even in a crowd. Of course, we need to seek time with God—alone time. But when that is not possible, we must open our ears to His voice no matter where we are. That would be the wise thing to do anyway!
So, how can I recognize God’s voice?
As I stated earlier, God’s voice is as distinctive as His character—His nature. Who He is will tell you how He would speak. In other words, as our Shepherd He will speak guidance when we are lost. As our Father, He will speak life and not death. Because He is a good Father and loves His children, His voice will also be recognizable by the power and results we see in His life. You see, just as the written Word of God does not return without accomplishing what it was sent to do, so, too, His spoken word does not return without accomplishing what He sent it to do! This means we will know His voice because we will experience His power in a real and tangible way in our lives. His voice will bring you:
Encouragement — Hebrews 6:17-18
Hope — Romans 15:4
Peace — Philippians 4:6-7
Increased faith — Matthew 21:21-22
Sustaining power — Matthew 4:4
Satisfaction — Revelation 3:20
Security -—Matthew 10:31-32
Gratitude & Praise — Luke 18:41-43
Healing — Mark 3:5; Mark 5:41-2
Calming of fears — Mark 6:50
Conviction of sin for the purpose of building us up.
Remember, the voice of the enemy speaks condemnation and attacks our identity and tears down our sense of worth (Romans 8:1-5). The voice of our Father speaks truth and brings conviction of sin and always builds up the reality of who we are while tearing down the strongholds we have believed to be a part of our identity for so long. In other words, He speaks truth and the enemy speaks lies! Whom will you believe?
Another thing to remember about our Father’s voice is that He will not force Himself upon us. He woos us as a loving Father who desires that we not remain in bondage to our old lives. He is jealous and patient and pursuant in His spoken love for us…but He does not force Himself on anyone who does not want Him…We must choose to listen!
…the kindness of God leads to repentance. — Romans 2:4 NASB
Since the choice to listen and obey is ours, we must believe He can speak and give Him entrance to our hearts. There is no shame in admitting we have sinned. The true shame we experience is in not being honest with Him when we hear His questioning voice. To hide the sin (remember Adam and Eve?) only compounds the weight of our sin.
All things are possible to him who believes! — Mark 9:23 NASB
What do we do when we can’t hear His voice?
There have been many, many times and seasons in my life when I have found it difficult to hear His voice…times when I simply could not hear His voice. What do I do when those times occur? This is the point where faith and trust come into play. If He truly loves me and His Word is true, He will not leave me or forsake me. My job, as a new creation, is to lift up my ‘wings’ of faith and fly on the ‘wind’ of the Holy Spirit and trust that He is there even in spite of my lack of hearing. His Spirit will lift my faith above the dry times—through the unhearing times! He is there. I simply trust Him enough to know that He will not always remain silent and that even in His silence (as I perceive it), I know and trust His heart. He will not abandon me. I must simply trust Him with the depths of my being—with the depths of my heart.
‘You will seek Me and find Me when you search for Me with all your heart. — Jeremiah 29:13 NASB
What would be a hindrance to hearing God’s voice?
Noise is the biggest ‘deafener’ I know! I cannot hear the voice of those who call to me as clearly in a storm. I cannot hear the voice of those who would call to me as clearly in a crowded room. I will not hear the voice of those who call me as clearly if I have my ears pointed toward other sources of sound. I cannot hear the voice of those who call to me as clearly if my focus is distracted by other ‘attractive’ or interesting sounds.
The enemy desires to deceive us. He often deceives us by imitating the voice of the Lord. The enemy can also speak through other sources. Not only can he disguise His voice, he will also add just enough of the truth to make his words seem somehow plausible. As Adam and Eve discovered, listening to other voices can get one into a lot of trouble. While other voices are not inherently or necessarily evil, they can become instruments of ‘vocalization’ for the father of lies—the enemy of God—who very often comes to us disguised as an angel of light.
What we must never forget is this truth: God cannot lie! Always test the voices you hear…for content of truth…content of God’s nature and character…content of even the attitude in which the voice was spoken. There is a difference between blindly following every voice one hears and listening in a wise and discerning way. God cannot lie…therefore, His spoken Word will never contradict His written Word. When in doubt, seek those you trust and ask them to join you in discerning God’s voice.
