How To Hear The Voice Of God

Step 1: Ask God to Speak 

The first step toward hearing God's voice is to ask Him to speak and to let Him know we are listening. This idea may sound way too simple but take a second to think about it. Picture the person you are the closest to. Maybe it's an old friend from high school, a college roommate, a work colleague, or your spouse. How did your first conversation with that person start? How did that person know you wanted to talk to them? Did you stand across the room, never making eye contact or saying a word to them? Of course not! You approached them and made a conscious effort to talk to them, which left no question in their mind that you wanted to talk to them. From that point, it took time for the relationship to grow. You didn't just introduce yourself and then jump into explaining the deepest parts of who you are. If you had, you would've scared that person away, and the relationship probably would've ended right then and there. Every relationship requires work; both sides must pursue one another to build that relationship, which requires time.  

So why do we expect our relationship with God to be any different? How often do we expect God to start the conversation out of nowhere and speak to us as we would talk to a friend, we've known our whole life? We assume He will dive right into sharing all the most profound details about who He is and His plan for our life. Scripture says that God wants to speak to us. He wants to build a deep and loving relationship with us. But He's also not going to force a conversation to happen or intentionally overwhelm us by oversharing from day one.   

So just like in any other relationship, we must start by asking Him to speak and to let him know we are listening. A great way to do this is by echoing the words of Samuel in 1 Samuel 3, "Speak Lord, your servant is listening." By praying these words, we are showing God we recognize who He is, are ready to pursue a relationship with Him, and are excited to hear His voice.  

Step 2: Learn to Recognize His Voice 

Now that you've asked God to speak, you can move to step two: learning to recognize His voice. Essentially, we need to commit to living like sheep. Jesus often relates His relationship with us to that of a shepherd and his sheep. For example, in John 10:27 (NIV), He says, "My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me." Sheep aren't inherently intelligent animals. They walk off cliffs, get trapped easily, and they will follow each other toward danger without question. The only hope they have for survival is their shepherd. The shepherd is the only thing between them and the danger around them. But how do they know the difference between the voice of their shepherd and the voice of a random stranger? They spend time with the shepherd. They learn how he directs them and will eventually realize that his voice is the only voice that always leads them to safety and never toward danger.  

This is why spending time with God is so important. It's not a difficult task, but just like every relationship, it does take effort! If you want to learn the voice of God, you have to commit to spending time every day in scripture and prayer. The more time you spend with God, the easier it will become to discern His voice from the rest of the noise. You'll start to notice different characteristics of His voice that are different from everything else around you. God won't call you in a direction that contradicts who He is, but you won't know who He is unless you spend time with Him! 

Step 3: Seek Wise Counsel 

Even after you learn the voice of God, there will be times when you won't have 100% certainty in what He is trying to say to you. Moments like this lead you to step three: seek wise counsel. Being humble enough to ask others for advice is one of the most challenging parts of learning to hear God's voice. The world likes to say you need to have everything together all the time and that you should always have things your way. But if you are genuinely looking to hear the voice of God, you have to humble yourself and realize you don't understand every message God is trying to give you. Proverbs 11:14 (ESV) says, "Where there is no guidance, a people falls, but in an abundance of counselors there is safety." There's a reason why scripture constantly tells us to join with other believers continually pursuing God. God will place people in your life that have known His voice for much longer than you have, and if you let them have input, He will use them as a filter for your decisions. Identify those people in your life and make a list. Then, the next time things get cloudy, call them or take them out for coffee to ask for their wisdom. Their answers will help sharpen the message God has for you and help filter out His voice from everything else. Again, the important thing here is to come into these conversations with a humble heart. Trust in the wisdom God has gifted to the believers around you and be willing to take their advice.  

Put in some practice 

Please take some time today to begin these steps. It may seem daunting initially, and the results may come slowly, but God wants to speak to you. He wants to guide and comfort you like a good shepherd. He wants to surround you with wise counsel. He's waiting for you to turn to Him and pray, "Speak Lord, your servant is listening."