Is That You, God?

Last week I told the story of hearing God in the middle of a Mexican food restaurant. So, what did I mean by “hearing” God? What does God’s voice sound like, anyway?

Some believe that God has stopped speaking altogether, while others argue that hearing God’s voice is reserved for a special few. But, I believe that the Bible teaches that all Christians are able to hear the voice of God:

My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me.  John 10:27

Call to me and I will answer you, and will tell you great and hidden things that you have not known.  Jeremiah 33:3

And your ears shall hear a word behind you, saying, “This is the way, walk in it,” when you turn to the right or when you turn to the left.  Isaiah 30:21

But when he, the Spirit of truth, comes, he will guide you into all truth. He will not speak on his own; he will speak only what he hears, and he will tell you what is yet to come.  John 16:13

I think God is speaking to us all the time. It's just that His voice can be pretty difficult to discern sometimes. For instance, when the Holy Spirit was prompting me to talk to the man in the restaurant I kept thinking it was my own thoughts, and it took me awhile to clue in that it was actually God! 

In fact, even great men of the Bible didn't automatically know when God was speaking: Samuel mistook God’s voice for that of his fellow priest’s, Eli (1 Samuel 3). Elijah expected to hear God through a powerful earthquake, wind, or fire, but instead He spoke in a small whisper (1 Kings 19:11-12). And keep in mind that these guys were OT prophets, the heavyweight champions of hearing the voice of God! If even these men had a hard time, then it stands to reason that the rest of us would too.

So how do we develop the ability to hear God? There is no formula, but here are a few helpful things to keep in mind:

-- God will never tell you to do something that is in violation of the truth of Scripture

-- Although God can communicate however He wants to, He often speaks in a still, small voice that can be mistaken for our own thoughts

--  The best way to know if it’s God is the scariest way: to step out in faith and act on what you are hearing. Oftentimes, we don’t know for sure whether it was the Holy Spirit’s leading until AFTER we have done it! This requires radical obedience!

One thing I’ve learned that has helped me a lot is that it’s better to be obedient than be right. If we step out and get it wrong there is much room for grace, and God is bigger than our blunders. In fact, I think He loves it that we put ourselves out there to try and minister to another person. (I wish I had room to tell you about my experience in the Whataburger drive through when I definitely got it wrong!) Hearing God takes practice…and faith. So when you think God is speaking to you, just go for it! You may just discover that it WAS God speaking to you all along!