Learning To Hear From God

Jul 9, 06:43 PM

“And Samuel said, ‘Speak, Lord, for your servant is listening.’” ~1 Samuel 3:10

Hearing from God is partly a gift of the Holy Spirit, partly the wisdom of discernment, and partly something we learn over time. Many people are confused in this area. They do not know what is from God and what is not. They hear many voices and cannot seem to sort them out. Jesus said that His own know His voice and will not listen to the voice of another. (John 10:4-5) We are not born with that knowledge, we learn it. Such knowledge, however, does not happen by magic. It is attained by those who are attuned and who are intentional in developing their own ears to hear.

Listening begins with quiet. The world is noisy. There is not only a lot of noise, but there are so many voices, each claiming to have a corner on the truth market. The discipline of quiet is an important one. This means not only seeking out a quiet environment in which to watch and pray, it means learning to quiet your troubled and over-active mind. If your mind races along in hyper-speed, God will never get a word in edge-wise and you will simmer in anxiety and confusion. You can exert your will in this area. You are not a hapless victim of your own thought patterns. Discipline your mind in quietness. It gets easier in time. Learn to settle your mind in times of prayer and worship. Focus your attention on God in times of devotion. You cannot pray fruitfully if you are multi-tasking. Go into your closet and shut the door. Feast on the word of God, enter into His presence and wait for Him. Like anything else which is learned, it will feel unnatural at first but later on will produce the peaceable fruits of righteousness.

The Spirit takes time to move. So few are able to take the time or are willing to wait. The Spirit often comes in an ebb and flow. He comes again and again like the waves on the seashore. Do not leave prematurely. He may come at an unexpected time, just when you think you and He are finished. The Spirit is often misunderstood. Some believe you either have it or you don’t. The Spirit did not come only once at Pentecost, but came again and again. We grow in the power and knowledge of the Spirit as we actively pursue Him and relinquish more and more of ourselves to His governance. You must learn how the Spirit works. Most people believe the Spirit just floats around in some kind of unknown, chaotic way. Over time, if you attune your heart to Him, you will learn how the Spirit functions. There is trial and error to this process. You will make mistakes, but learn from them and get better at the art of being led by the Spirit.

If you involve yourself in regular Bible reading, meditation, and study, you will not only learn more about the Bible, you will attune yourself to the counsel of God. You will begin to think as God thinks and be shaped by His Word. Over time, you will not only learn what God has said, you will in some measure learn how He thinks. I have often said to someone, “I do not know if you have heard from God or not, but that does sound like something God would say.” God has checks and balances in this process as well. There is His Word, of course. What you hear from God will never disagree with Scripture. There is also godly community. We run great risk when we isolate ourselves. Healthy spiritual community is necessary for our own wholeness of thought and can prevent us from getting off track.

Only That Which Is Given From Heaven Leaving a Mark on the World