Draw near to God and He will draw near to you. (James 4:8)

 

 Do you know that God is speaking all of the time? Do you know that He is speaking to you? By His Holy Spirit God speaks in different ways through His word the Bible, through prayer, through events and experiences, through other people, and even through dreams and images or visions. He is always speaking because He expects that we are listening; He wants us to hear.

When we’re involved in a conversation, it’s important to attend to what the other person has to say. Otherwise we never truly know their thoughts and feelings or opinions, nor are we able to respond honestly and meaningfully. The same is true of our relationship with our Creator. Most times when we pray we do all the talking. We rarely listen to hear His response, and so we don’t come to know Him intimately – the way He wants to be known. “Be still and know that I am God…” Psalm 46:10

Usually when God speaks to me it’s to tell me He loves me or to encourage me. Other times He gives me direction and guidance, and sometimes He corrects me. Sometimes I have questions for Him and if I’m patient enough to listen He responds with an answer. He speaks to me in different ways. Sometimes I have words dropped into my mind, or a phrase from a verse of scripture – or its “address”, such as Isaiah 12:2.  Most often I receive an image, and then I ask questions about what the image means until I am fairly sure I have the understanding. I always seek God for a corresponding verse of scripture to support what I believe He is saying to me. This process can take minutes, hours, days or even weeks, and I use my journal to record what I believe I’ve received, and my questions and His answers, because sometimes I miss something the first go round.

God will speak to you if you take the time to listen. Your process may be different from mine. We all hear from God but in varying ways depending on our personalities, natural abilities, and spiritual gifts. The key is to trust that He is speaking and that you have the ability to hear Him.  Jesus said, “…everyone who asks receives, and the one who seeks finds, and to the one who knocks it will be opened.” (Matthew 7)

The first step is to learn the ways that God speaks to you. Some people hear an audible voice. Some have a sense of what God is saying but don’t hear it audibly. Some people receive verses of scripture. Others receive images or visions.  You may hear God in all of these different ways – or in ways I haven’t mentioned. A dedicated journal is an essential tool in this discerning process. It will require faith and patience but I promise that if you persevere, you will not regret the time you spend seeking Him. Be patient. Ask Him a question, and then wait for His answer. Here are three suggestions that I believe will help you.

 

1. The Secret Place (Psalm 91:1)

When Jesus taught His followers to pray, He said: “Go into your room and shut the door and pray to your Father who is in secret.” (Matthew 6:6)

Shut out the distractions of the world around you. Intentionally set yourself apart and set aside some time to meet with God. It requires stillness and silence, which can be difficult for many of us. But it’s necessary to quiet our minds and our bodies if we want to hear from God and sense His presence, so set your phone aside. Use the same quiet room, or even a specific chair in your living room each time you pray, read your Bible, or seek to hear from God, and you will find it gradually gets easier to settle into your “secret place” over time.

 

2. Believe that God wants to speak to you

 God wants a close relationship with you. He wants you to know His heart and His thoughts towards you. He wants to tell you how much He loves you. It’s okay to have doubts, just don’t let doubt close your mind. Keep it open to the possibility that God has something He wants to say to you. The secret is to seek Him and keep on seeking Him. He spoke this promise through the prophet Jeremiah (who heard His voice) saying: “Call to me and I will answer you, and will tell you great and hidden things that you have not known.” (Jeremiah 33:3)

 

3. Believe that you can hear Him speak

Every one of us has the ability to hear God – whether we believe in Him or not. It’s built in. He made us that way. Those of us who have received His Son Jesus are the children of God (John 1:12) and the lambs of His flock (Isaiah 40:11), and we know the voice of our Shepherd.  My sheep recognize my voice. I know them, and they follow me. (John 20:27) But God will respond to anyone who seeks Him with all their hearts. He spoke to me a couple of times before I came to faith. It was life changing and profound both times.

 

The Still Small Voice

In 1 Kings 19, after narrowly escaping the murderous reach of Jezebel who was determined to kill him, the great prophet Elijah cried out to God. He was deeply discouraged and depressed. God told him to go up on the mountain and hide himself in a cave and wait. As Elijah waited, there was first a violet windstorm, then an earthquake, and then a fire. But God was not in any of those things. Elijah remained still and waited, and then he heard a faint whisper that the Bible calls a “still small voice”. The meaning of this phrase in the original Hebrew is a “very intimate sound” like a groan or a sigh that someone makes when they are caught up in wonder, or love and intimacy. God wanted to encourage and strengthen Elijah because He loved him.

I used to think that when God spoke to me it would be like a lightning strike or an earthquake or a violent wind, but it’s usually a whisper, as it was for Elijah. And, like Elijah, I have to remain still to discern it.

When God speaks to you in the “still, small voice” you will most likely doubt that it was Him. But if you have asked Him to speak to you, have faith that He will, and is speaking. God will confirm His word to you if you ask Him. Our loving Heavenly Father knows and understands us.

On the night before He died, Jesus told His disciples, “Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends.” (John 15:13)  Jesus’ words are for us today. He willingly laid down His life, taking our sin upon Himself on the cross so that we could have uninhibited access to and intimacy with the Father. So today make some time today to go into a quiet room and shut the door or to sit quietly in your prayer chair,  and ask the Father to speak to you by His Holy Spirit. It doesn’t take a special gift, all it takes is a sincere desire to draw near to Him, and patience. The Creator of All Things wants an intimate relationship with you, and if you seek Him and keep on seeking Him with all your heart, that relationship will transform your life and circumstances in amazing ways you cannot anticipate.

When you search for me, you will find me; if you seek me with all your heart…(Jeremiah 29:13)