How to Hear God’s Voice in a Distracting, Deceiving, Disorienting Time.
“I know what God says, but I didn’t know what He says to me.”
Gosh. That hits the bullseye, doesn’t it? This is how a friend shared she feels about hearing God. Or rather, how she felt.
So many sincere lovers of Jesus know the Bible, pray regularly, attend worship gatherings, but still feel like God treats them more like a latch-key kid than a cherished child.
Is that you? Do you feel like God has given you some general guidelines to follow and principles to apply, even a book to read, but that He doesn’t speak to you in real time when you need it?
I’ve been there. At times, I can be tempted to believe I’m still there. But God has so much better for us. Jesus has promised that He can and will speak to us.
You can hear God’s voice. This has nothing to do with your circumstances, success, spirituality, maturity, or anything else.
You can hear God’s voice because God absolutely loves speaking to YOU. We just need to know how to tune in and what to tune out.
Hearing God is Super Natural
I don’t mean “supernatural.” Though, that’s obviously a part of the deal. Hearing God’s voice is natural. Speaking is essential to His identity.
God spoke everything into existence.
He reveals His heart in and through the Bible.
Shoot, Jesus is even called the Word of God.
He’s designed creation to be like a cosmic billboard that says, “I love you!”
He designed YOU for relationship with Him. You were made by His hand, in His image, for His joy. He is always speaking.
But this begs a question. If God is always speaking and made us to hear Him, then why don’t we hear Him more often? Or at least, why don’t we have more confidence that we have heard from God?
Distractions, Deceptions, and Detours that Muffle God’s Voice
In John 10:1 – 21, Jesus clarifies that He is the Great Shepherd that Psalm 23 refers to. He promises that His sheep will hear His voice.
Which assumes He speaks, initiates, calls, and leads, wouldn’t you say?
But He also acknowledges that He’s not the only one competing for the sheep’s attention. Jesus points our attention to the following characters in the scene.
Wolf
Hired Hand
Stranger
Thief
Other Sheep
More….
I don’t think this list is supposed to be comprehensive. Or studied and mastered. Instead, it may be that Jesus intended to give us a helpful, nuanced perspective through which to view our lives.
All of these characters, and probably more, compete for our attention simultaneously. They don’t necessarily take turns.
Wolves, who may be dressed in sheep’s clothing, attack and devour. If sheep see, hear, or smell a wolf, they panic.
When people are afraid, psychologists tell us that we instinctively shift into “fight, flight, or freeze” mode.
Wolves are a legitimate threat. Sheep are unmistakably vulnerable. They seriously have no defense.
Except the shepherd.
Fear is a weapon of the wolf. It’s all around. There’s a reason why God uses deliverance language to describe how “perfect love DRIVES OUT all fear.”
Hired hands may seem like a good solution to the fear problem. But they fall painfully short. They don’t actually want to protect the sheep. Not when it’s costly, anyway.
They want a paycheck. They don’t care about the sheep. They care about what the sheep can produce for them. They’ll ride the sheep for all the production and achievement they can get.
And you know something? That can make some sheep feel kinda good for a minute.
Anyone ever love bomb you onto their production line? Have you ever tried to step off their conveyor belt only to be met with wrath?
Strangers might seem like a better alternative. I love how honest and nuanced Jesus is about the world we live in. Strangers aren’t necessarily “bad.” In this scene, though, they are distracting. They’re calling other sheep.
If wolves evoke fear and hired hands are like deceptive narcissists, then strangers may represent distractions.
And my oh my, are there distractions in this world! At the time of this writing, I’m in the middle of a soft media fast.
I can waste SO much time and energy scrolling. When I’m trying to concentrate and hit a block, I’ll click around the internet for…too long. And then my train of thought is gone, and I have to start over.
But at least I know more about the best dog breeds for an active lifestyle, who broke their silence on what, why so and so put which league on notice…and on and on and on.
It’s hard to hear God when you’re lured into distractions.
Thieves are out there. Make no mistake about it. Some are strategic. You won’t see them coming. Others are chaotic. They don’t care. They want to destroy.
Regardless, the thieves are cruel. They don’t play fair. They’ll kick you when you’re down. Taunt, tease, and terrorize. Torment. The Devil is real.
C.S. Lewis described the plight well when he wrote:
“There are two equal and opposite errors into which our race can fall about the devils. One is to disbelieve in their existence. The other is to believe, and to feel an excessive and unhealthy interest in them. They themselves are equally pleased by both errors and hail a materialist or a magician with the same delight. ”
You probably know people who fall in both ditches. If you're honest, you can see ways you’ve fallen into each.
Other sheep are in play in this scene. Sheep, like people, are social creatures. If one sheep freaks out because they think they heard a wolf, the rest of the flock will follow.
Sheep will distract, bully, compete with, and help each other. If one sheep hears the shepherd's voice and responds, the other sheep will follow.
If an older sheep knows how to stay close to the shepherd, the younger sheep will learn by their example.
Identify the Noise in Real Time
Which of these seems most prominent in your life right now?
· Fear?
· Devastation?
· Distractions?
· Peers/Culture/Society?
· Production/achievement?
Why? Is there a benefit you’re receiving from them? Something you’re afraid of losing or letting go of?
Jesus Paid Your Phone Bill Because God Wants to Talk to You
Jesus is just so amazing. Don’t you love how He says that it’s into this chaotic, cluttered, disorganized mess that He speaks?
Isn’t that a relief?
It’s incredible when you can get unhurried, undistracted time in prayer. Praise God for those moments and rhythms!
But that’s not where most of life happens. We live in the space between dropping off kids at practice, wrapping up work, being interrupted by notifications, having dinner, and the rest.
The incarnation of God – Jesus entering history as a human – shows that God does not intend to pull us out of our day-to-day lives, but to enter our lives.
Imanuel. God with us.
Jesus knows what it feels like to be distracted and pulled in multiple directions at once – and still hear God’s voice.
He knows how intimidating it can be to stare fear in the face and not flinch because the Father’s voice was in His ears.
People constantly pressured Jesus to go along with the crowd. So many people tried to get Him to use His power for selfish gain. Jesus was regularly told He was wrong and out of line. But He could hear God leading Him to higher ground.
Jesus knows what it feels like to hear people beg for healing, food, productivity, and achievement, but still be able to listen to the voice of the Father so that He could love the wicked and the good without measure.
With every step Jesus took, He heard God the Father’s voice and followed perfectly. All of this, so that He could gather up everything that could ever keep us from hearing God, take it to the cross, and have it crucified with Him.
On the cross, hanging in our place, Jesus couldn’t hear the Father’s voice. The Father wouldn’t listen to the Son.
Jesus laid down His life so that we could have the free, unhindered, unceasing relationship with God that He enjoys.
After Jesus ascended to heaven, He poured out His Spirit on all people. Now, for those who trust Jesus, we have the same access to God that Jesus has. The Holy Spirit of God, the God who spoke all things into existence, who raised Jesus from the dead, dwells inside each Christian and among the community of believers.
Listen for a Better Voice
Do you think that if God were to go through all of this:
· Incarnation
· Crucifixion
· Resurrection
· Ascension
· Pentecost
That He would now decide to stop talking? No way! We gotta get this straight. We can hear God because God loves talking with us.
The pressure is off! Hearing God’s voice isn’t about our maturity, goodness, spiritual prowess, or anything. In fact, when Jesus tells us how to pray or how to approach God, doesn’t He regularly say, come like a kid?
It seems to me that if something is blocking our ability to hear God, it may not be our bad works, but maybe our confidence in our good works.
As a father, when one of my kids approaches me with even a shred of vulnerability, weakness, fear, or pain, you might as well shut down the rest of my world. They get my full, undivided attention.
God wants to speak to you. And when He does, His voice is going to match His character. It’s going to sound like perfect love. Check out this list of virtues that describes the fruit of the Spirit and the character of love.
· Joy
· Peace
· Patience
· Kindness
· Goodness
· Faithfulness
· True
· Protective
· Trusting
· Hopeful
· Persevering
And now some contrast
· Not envious
· Not rude
· Not self-seeking
· Not easily angered
· Keeps no record of wrongs
· Does not delight in evil
This is the tone of God’s voice. Always. Even when God needs to correct us. And thank God He is willing to do so!
God will never call you an idiot. He doesn’t give you the silent treatment. He won’t stonewall or gaslight you.
His voice is tender, confident, even playful. When you have thoughts, feelings, or impressions that don’t match the above lists, that’s not God. Don’t take the bait.
How to Cultivate a Conversation with God
The following is by no means comprehensive. It’s just a start! Nonetheless, here area few steps you can consider taking to deepen your conversations with God.
1. Don’t wait. Turn your thoughts into prayers. Its SO amazing to hear God speak. You don’t need to be more than human or step outside your everyday life. Remember, Jesus entered into normal life so that He could walk with you in love daily. Moment by moment.
2. Fall in love. With God. You can’t stop infatuated lovers from wanting to be near each other, can you? Go ahead and try! Many parents have. Now, when it comes to falling in love with God, there is no risk. No limit. You cannot go too far or give too much.
3. Open the Bible. It’s a love letter. But don’t just read the letters. Ask Jesus to show you His heart. That simple question has transformed my Bible reading.
4. Get to know yourself. God made you uniquely. He will speak to you in unique ways that resonate with you. The Bible gives so many examples of how God speaks to people, even through animals! Don’t beat yourself up if you’re not an academic or an artist. God made you the way He did because He loves interacting with you in those specific ways.
5. Prioritize time with God. While God can and does speak in the middle of our routines, He loves getting special, focused time with you. He loves you so much and can’t wait to share His heart with you.
6. Pray with others. God’s nature is community. Trinity, to be precise. He LOVES to gather with His people. Where two or more are gathered in Jesus’ Name, there He is among them. That’s real.
7. Pray for others. Get this. You can ask God what He loves about people and how He wants to bless them – and then pray in agreement with what He shows you. I have found this to be like spiritual Drano. It unclogs my soul. When I’m stumped and don’t know what to pray, I’ll ask God who He wants to bless and how. God LOVES partnering with you to bless others.
8. Wait. I know. I don’t like it either. But sometimes, God has us take a minute to get warmed up and reacquainted with each other. So you may ask God to speak and hear…..nothing. For a minute. That’s ok. Just enjoy being in the presence of the Lover of your soul.
9. Get weird. Sorry! Or maybe not. I don’t know. Maybe I’ve lived in Portland too long. Or not long enough? What I do know is this: Christianity is by definition a mystical, transcendent faith. God loves to color outside the lines, shatter our small view of Him, and lead us in love. He gives dreams, visions, sends angels, works miracles, reveals secrets, provides healing….the list goes on.
But I should not. You’ve got other things to do today. Me too. Hopefully, we’re better able to hear God as we do them!
Permit me to allow one word of caution. You can get it wrong. You can think you heard God, but misunderstood Him.
That’s ok! Misunderstanding God is only a problem when we act out in pride, like we have the authority to usurp Scripture.
If we can misunderstand people in conversation, how much more might we misunderstand God? We can misinterpret the Bible; but should we stop reading it? Of course not!
When we get it wrong, God will straighten things out in time. If we sincerely want to be close to Him, He won’t let us wander away based on a misunderstanding.
God wants you to know what He says. But even more, He wants you to know what He says to YOU! He’ll ensure you get the message.
