Knowing God’s Voice

Is listening an integral part of your prayer life? Let’s be honest, most of us are really good at listing a litany of needs or desires, but listening is not something we spend much time doing when it comes to prayer. What would it look like to pause, to wait, to listen for God’s voice? And what would His voice sound like?

On Sunday, our friend Dan Roseman kicked off a new series for us we’re calling Prayer Matters: Praying with Power and Purpose. Dan said that “prayer is most effective when we recognize God’s voice.” But how often do we really listen for His voice? Dan helped us to understand how to recognize when God is speaking. He also made clear that God’s voice sounds like Scripture; if it is in His Word, then you can trust it is from Him!

The Apostle Paul tells us to pray continually. (1 Thessalonians. 5:17) That may seem like an impossible task, but think about it like an unending text conversation you might have with your spouse, if you’re married; it really doesn’t have an ending point. It is an ongoing, never-ceasing conversation.

Jesus teaches about how sheep listen for the voice of their shepherd. (Jn 10:3). In the same way, if you’re a Christ-follower, we listen for God’s voice too! In 1 Samuel 3, we get some insight about how God interacts with people. Samuel needed some help to know that God was speaking to him. He was only about twelve years old at the time. The priest, Eli, helped him to know that God was speaking to him and encouraged Samuel… 9 So Eli told Samuel, “Go and lie down, and if he calls you, say, ‘Speak, Lord, for your servant is listening.’” 1 Samuel 3:9

The truth is, sometimes we may need some help knowing when God is speaking. In situations like that, it’s a good idea to seek some advice from a godly person who can help guide you. The right person can help you understand if what you’re “hearing” is from God and not from the burrito you ate last night! If you’re a Believer, you may have an opportunity to help someone know if God is speaking to them too.

A humble heart always helps us hear God’s voice. Samuel seemed to have a humble heart and it enabled him to hear God speak clearly. (1 Sam. 3:10). Pride and selfish ambitions will keep us from really hearing God’s voice; in fact, those characteristics might cause us to think we’re hearing from God when we’re really just leaning hard into our own desires.

For much more, click here to listen to Dan’s message, Prayer Matters - Part 1 - Know God’s Voice.