Hearing the Voice of God: The Foundation (part 1)
Most believers have asked this question at some point: Is God really speaking to me—or is it just my own thoughts? Some even ask if God still speaks at all. Still others, who believe that He does speak, wonder how they can recognize His voice. These are questions that have been in the hearts of seekers for generations, because the longing to hear God is as old as humanity itself.
Hearing the voice of God is a vast topic. There are countless ways an infinite God can communicate with His creation. To explore even a few of them requires more space than a single article. That is why this topic will be approached in parts.
Meeting God Before We Recognize Him
Even before we come to know God in a personal way, we have already heard something of His voice. Creation itself speaks of His existence. The Apostle Paul put it this way, "For ever since the world was created, people have seen the earth and sky. Through everything God made, they can clearly see his invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature...." (Romans 1:20 NLT)
God is the source of life, and life surrounds us everywhere. The earth itself is like a womb that brings forth living things. A seed planted in the ground does not remain a seed. It miraculously changes its form and comes forth as a living plant, providing sustenance for humans and animals.
From the earth to the heavens, the Lord quietly speaks. The psalmist writes, "The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands. They have no speech, they use no words...Yet their voice goes out into all the earth." (Psalm 19:1,3 NIV)
Both the earth and the heavens serve as quiet but dramatic witnesses of God's existence and of His desire to communicate with mankind. In this vast silence, He is already speaking long before we learn how to hear.
The Key is Relationship
In a private nocturnal meeting with one of Israel's leaders, Jesus revealed the key that unlocks the door to hearing the voice of God. It is relationship.
Nicodemus was a teacher of the law, but he did not yet have a personal relationship with the Lawgiver. Jesus revealed this need to him, "no one can see the kingdom of God unless they are born again." (John 3:3 NIV)
The concept was beyond Nicodemus' understanding. His literal interpretation of being reborn was a physical impossibility, so Jesus explained that there are two types of births, "Humans can reproduce only human life, but the Holy Spirit gives birth to spiritual life." (John 3:6 NLT) To hear the voice of our parents is natural. We have only to be born into their family. To hear the voice of God requires birth into His family.
John tells us that Jesus is the door through which we enter into this relationship with God, "To all who believed Him and accepted Him, He gave the right to become children of God. They are reborn—not with a physical birth..., but a birth that comes from God." (John 1:12-13 NLT) It is belief in Christ—His teaching and His atoning death for our sins—that gives us access to the Kingdom of God and to hearing His voice. It all begins with the seed of God being planted in us.
From a Small Seed
Everything begins as a seed. You and I began as a seed. We did not come into the world as adults with a mature understanding of what was happening around us. In fact, it took time for us to recognize what the words spoken to us by our parents actually meant. Our birth into the family of God also begins as a seed. God plants His seed in us, and we are born again.
When we enter God's family through Christ, we do not enter silence—we enter relationship. And in relationship, communication naturally follows.
The Growth Process
Just as the birth of a human baby is followed by a growth process, so spiritual birth is followed by spiritual growth. We do not enter the family of God with mature understanding of our new life nor with a clear perception of how God speaks to us. We must grow in our comprehension.
An essential part of this growth process is the belief that God actually desires to communicate with His children. To believe otherwise would be illogical. God is our Heavenly Father, and we are His children. Even nature tells us that it would be absurd for a human father to remain mute toward his children. The very thought that God might be like this is to reduce Him to something less than His own creation.
Becoming Intentional
Once we acknowledge that God does want to speak to His children, then we become intentional about listening for His voice. We ask Him to open our spiritual ears that Jesus talked about when He said, "He who has ears to hear, let him hear." (Matthew 11:15 ESV) We look for Him in everyday life and begin to practice hearing His voice.
The Need for Discernment
It is important to note that there are other voices that we are more accustomed to hearing as we begin our journey of hearing the voice of God. These voices have been with us a lot longer and our ability to hear them is more acute. They will have to be acknowledged and dealt with appropriately.
The mind is the landing strip of the voices that we hear. These communications arrive as thoughts and must be either accepted or rejected according to their source. A thought may arise from our own mind, will, or emotions, and sometimes from our carnal desires. At times it may even come from a power of darkness, as Eve encountered in the Garden of Eden. What we are seeking is the thought that comes from God. It may not start out as clear as the other voices but will become clearer through practice and as we grow in our relationship with God.
Exercising our Spiritual Senses
The author of the Book of Hebrews teaches us the importance of practicing the ability to hear in the Spirit and the consequences of neglecting this practice. He writes,
"You have been believers so long now that you ought to be teaching others. Instead, you need someone to teach you again the basic things about God's Word. You are like babies who need milk and cannot eat solid food." (Hebrews 5:12 NLT)
"But solid food is for the mature, for those who have their powers of discernment trained by constant practice to distinguish good from evil" (Hebrews 5:14 ESV)
Constant practice is needed to "distinguish good from evil"— the will of God from that which is not the will of God. It is how we distinguish His voice from the other ones that vie for our attention. Since they have been with us longer, they often speak much louder and can try to drown out the voice of the Father.
Conclusion
God has never stopped speaking to His children. The real question is whether we are learning to listen. In the next articles we will explore some of the specific ways God speaks to us and how we can begin to distinguish His voice from the other voices that we are in the habit of hearing.
For more from Julia Kamleiter: https://juliakamleiter.substack.com/
