What’s the first thing that comes to your mind with that phrase, “Hearing God’s voice”?
Some might say it doesn’t apply to me
Some say God doesn’t speak to us like the day of old
Some might say that’s only reserved for “highly spiritual” Christians or prophets – “I’m not worthy”
Some might already believe it or are actually experiencing this in some way
And so on…
While I don’t know how others will react with that phrase, but I could certainly imagine the varying reactions to it.
What if I told you that God can and does speak to us, even in present-day? Is that surprising? or not surprising to you?
Think about this for a moment – If God is truly LOVE and truly loves us in each own way, like a parent loving their own child. Wouldn’t He absolutely love to reach out to us and communicate with us?
Some of you might say – Huh? I’m not hearing His voices in my life?? How do I do this??
I don’t think there’s any particular formula or method that we can use to hear His voice in our lives. Each case is different since each individual is different. Although, I think in many cases, it boils down to whether if we are listening or not. I do believe that God do speak to each of us differently and we have to choose whether if we’re willing to take the time aside and listen for His voice in our lives. At first, it might be really hard because SELF gets in the way of hearing His voices. It’s not something you try to strive for, but more of just being aware of different ways God can answer us. In some cases, it could simply be a case where God is waiting to hear from you?
I know that seemed a little bit abstract, but I’ll connect these with concrete examples that you might be able to relate in your own life –
– Reading a particular bible verse and feeling stirred in spirit because it relates exactly to what’s happening in your life at the moment – that feeling deep down that God is right there with you, gently speaking into your spirit. It could be some comforting verses in times of trouble, a verse that inspires you to take action, etc…
– Before doing something wrong, a soft gentle voice deep inside pleading you not to go down this path. Or on other side of coin, before doing something right – a soft gentle voice deep inside nudging you to go down that path.
– Praying to God, and then receiving confirmation later on (via signs, someone you know, etc..)
Now, some of them can be quite subtle and make us second-guess ourselves, thinking whether if that from God or just a coincidence? Some cases can be quite obvious, leaving you with no doubt in your mind.
Also, when we pray, do we feel like we’re just simply talking to an empty wall or do we truly believe that we are communicating with a LOVING GOD who will communicate back with us? If we feel like we’re talking to empty wall when we pray, it could simply mean God is silent for a short time being or it could be a case where God is trying to reveal answer to us but instead we don’t know how to listen for His answers? Or our lack of faith that He will communicate back to us?
Remember that God is very LOVING and desires an intimate relationship with us – a wonderful loving relationship between a Creator and the created. Surely, His arm isn’t too short. He is able to and desires to communicate with us. The question is – will we let Him and will we listen??