Hearing God’s voice and knowing it’s Him is often viewed as a gift that only few have, but that is not true! Hearing from God isn’t an exclusive gift, it’s an inclusive gift available to all. God has been speaking, but God is not the only voice that we’ve been hearing. We live in a world where everyone is trying to get our attention. From billboards to commercials, from Instagram posts to Snapchat stories, the fight for our undivided attention is a bloody battle. But God is in the fight too and His approach is unconventional. While the world grabs our attention with noise, God grabs attention with silence. Only when we are desperate and bold enough to turn away from the sensory noises of the world will we hear the tender, sweet, loving and corrective voice of the Father.
There are many ways to position yourself to hear from God. Here are some ways that have helped me hear His voice. It’s my hope that as you seek to hear God, the ears of your heart may become more attune to His voice and presence. Now I must put out this disclaimer: hearing the voice of God doesn’t just come in sound form. It can be a tug on the heart or an overwhelming sense of peace and assurance. Be open to how God may speak to you -– He’s a limitless God, so don’t limit Him.
1. Isolate yourself and have alone time.
Imagine picking up an important phone call in the middle of a concert as the music is blaring in the background and you’re pressed up against people who are dancing and singing off key to the lead singer. No matter how much you try to engage in the phone conversation you can’t because where you are is noisy. You have to leave the concert and go somewhere where there is much less noise. In the same way, if you want to hear from God and discern his voice, you have to remove things that can serve as “noise” and be in a place where you can say to God “I can hear you now.” If that means locking yourself in your room, putting your phone on silent and just being alone with your Bible open and journal in hand, then do it.
2. Expect God to meet you.
When you have intentional alone time with God, come expecting God to meet with you. Regular “dates with God” say to Him, “Lord I give you my attention, you are my priority, I long to hear from you, please speak.” It says in Matthew 6:6, “But when you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.” If you want to hear from God you have to make room for Him. Isolate yourself (yes, even from your phone) and set aside some time where you can talk to God, but more importantly where you can sit and listen to Him talk back. Whether you’re an early riser or a night owl, carve out some time to hear from God. Remember it’s not a matter of how long you spend with God, but making the time you do spend with Him count. When you make time for God and fit your other responsibilities around Him, you keep God first.
3. Set your mind on things above.
Just because you’re in a room alone with God, doesn’t mean that your mind won’t wander. God knows we’re human and He has grace. Silence and being still have an interesting way of causing our thoughts trail off, so we have to be even more intentional about focusing on God. Colossians 3:2 says, “Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things.” My advice would be to play some instrumental worship music (soaking music) that won’t distract you while you pray to God and wait on His response.
Another way to guide your time with God is to have a devotional. I absolutely love devotionals because the structured format helps me to hear from God on a daily basis. It leads me to a passage and prompts me to respond. Oftentimes, that response can come out as worship, confession, or thanksgiving. I’m often left feeling assured, comforted, and overwhelmed by God’s presence as He speaks His word straight to my heart. I know I’ve met with Him when His word transforms me. If you don’t have a devotional guide, I would recommend Jesus Calling by Sarah Young. It has helped me keep my mind “set on things above.”
4. Bring out the Bible.
For many of you, the problem is not hearing from God, but simply discerning His voice. The Bible can help with that. Reading the Bible is reading the voice of God. In those sixty-six books are direct quotes from Jesus, characteristics of God, His mannerisms, His promises, and His responses. You’ll discern the voice of God if you know His Word. When you read the Bible daily and study it, it becomes easy to know what is true of God and what isn’t. If you are ever in doubt if something is of God or not, test it against his Word.
Don’t believe everything you hear, because not everything you hear comes from God (1 John 4:1 MSG). God is the same yesterday, today, and forever more. God does not contradict and He is not a hypocrite! You can always count on what you hear from the Lord aligning with scripture. It is worth mentioning however, that the devil knows scripture too, so don’t be fooled! The devil does not want to bring God glory though. The true litmus test in making sure that God is leading you is who is receiving the Glory.
5. Be sensitive to the Holy Spirit.
When trying to hear from God, be sensitive and open to the different ways God can communicate. Involve all of your senses. For seeing, God can give you visions or flashes of images. For hearing, God can speak in an audible voice or use someone else to speak through. For touch, you can literally feel the weight of God’s glory or His love and peace surrounding and calming you. No matter how God speaks to you, make sure to record it. Have a notebook, journal, or even the voice memo app ready to record what God has spoken to you.
We can all grow in our ability to hear God, I have not mastered this! As it says – from glory to glory, from faith to faith (2 Cor. 3:18). We will never have arrived while on this earth, we are always in this continual growth state. How can you grow in hearing God? – grow in learning about Him. The reason why the sheep knows the shepherd’s voice, is not because it is loud nor because it is a new voice, but that it is the voice that has always been there. It is a tender voice that never leads them astray and that always protects and guides. The voice of the Shepard never fails. The ninety-nine sheep that didn’t leave while the shepherd went to find the one knew the shepherd’s voice so well that they didn’t follow any other. That’s how we will know our Shepherd’s voice. The more time we spend with our Shepherd, the more we know Him.
Anne Jo is a singer/songwriter, guitarist, and worship leader at Christ Church in Montclair and Rockaway, NJ. By day, she works as the Outreach, Volunteer, and Worship Team Coordinator at New City Kids in Jersey City, developing young people into leaders and helping them get into college. Her passion is to spread the gospel through music, bringing people to encounter the love of God.
