Most everyone who has attended a Christian church service has heard the preacher say, “Then God told me…” With that statement many questions arise. How did God say it? Did he come appear on a gigantic throne like in Isaiah 6? Did He yell it out loud in a deep, thundering voice? Or was it the “still, small voice” that is mentioned is 1 Kings 19? While there are many different accounts of God speaking to people in different ways in the Bible, Christians can rest in the truth that God speaks clearly to His children so that they may know His will for their lives and live it for His glory.
In John 10 Christ gives the beautiful picture of Himself as the Shepherd of His flock (believers). Verses 3 and 4 states, “The sheep hear his voice, and he calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. When he has brought out all his own, he goes before them, and the sheep follow him, for they know his voice.” As sheep of the flock of Christ we are told that we will know the voice of God.
It’s encouraging to know that believers are promised that they will understand the voice of God. But the question still arises, how do we receive this voice?
The first way we hear God’s voice is through the study of His word. The Bible is God’s truth written to mankind. It gives witness to the power of God and instruction to believers on how we must live our lives for His glory. Daily reading His word will grow our knowledge of His commands for our lives. It will bring us closer to Him and remind us that His goal is His glory.
One of my favorite authors is C.S. Lewis. If I want to learn about C.S. Lewis, what he enjoyed and loved, what made him who he was, I would read his autobiography Surprised by Joy. If I wanted to I could read biographies by other authors or I could talk to people who know a lot about C.S. Lewis. But no one can explain Lewis’ life better than Lewis. The same is true with God. I can hear sermons about God, read books about God, talk to people about God… These are all great things that I do. But they’re pointless if I don’t read and know the book that is actually written by God… the Bible.
Another way to hear from God is through prayer. In Matthew 7:7 Jesus says, “Ask, and it will be given you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you.” If you want to know what God wants us to do, ask Him. One thing that every Christian has to realize is that Jesus isn’t an ATM machine. You don’t just come to Him when you want something, selfishly seeking your own agenda. Christians are to “pray without ceasing” (1 Thes. 5:17), seeking God’s will for their lives. If you are seeking God and His will for your life the answers will come. They may not come when you want them. They may not be the answers you expected. But remember that life is all about God’s glory not man’s glory.
Personally, I have found that when I truly seek what God wants and not what I want, He speaks to me in many different ways. Maybe it’s through a sermon or a song. Maybe it’s through a conversation with a friend or relative. Maybe it’s a thought that comes to mind when I am driving down the road praying. No matter what it is, I must test it with God’s word and through prayer. I remember that God has given me the Holy Spirit, which lives in me, guides me, and convicts me. (John 15:26-27, John 16:13)
In Conclusion, we can sum up hearing from God with four important points.
1. The Shepherd’s Sheep Know His Voice: Followers of Christ have been promised the ability to discern whether or not the voice they hear is the voice of Jesus or another.
2. God Speaks through His Word: Followers should constantly seek to grow in their knowledge of God and His commands by spending time in His word.
3. God Speaks to Us When We Pray: Followers of Christ must seek God’s will for their lives through prayer.
4. The Holy Spirit is Our Helper: Followers of Christ must live in the truth that the Holy Spirit lives in each believer, guiding and convicting them along the journey of life.
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