Can You Hear God?

“Then God blessed them, and said to them, ‘Be fruitful and multiply;’ ”
Genesis 1:28 NKJV
“My sheep hear my voice, and I know them and they follow Me.”
John 10:27 NKJV

When I read about Adam and Eve in the Bible I used to get jealous. I thought they were lucky to talk to God and He would answer them right away. That must have been so cool.

We will have our turn too. As His children, when we get to heaven we too will talk with God face to face. But how can we hear him now?

We can get to know God by reading the Bible, which is His letter to us, and by praying to Him. And then we need do to what we understand He is telling us to do.

He usually speaks to by putting thoughts into our mind. You may wonder; “how do I know if it’s just what I am thinking or if God is speaking to me?” If your thoughts line up with what the Bible teaches, you can be sure that this is the right thing to do.

For example, you might be reading an account in the Bible about how someone lied about their neighbor in court and got them into trouble. Then when you pray to God He might put a thought into your mind that He wants you to stop lying.

I’m using this example because when I was a child and already a Christian I had a big problem with lying. I wanted to impress my parents and teachers. I wanted them to think that I was always responsible and reliable.

Sometimes I just plain was not that responsible and I had messed up. But I wouldn’t admit it, so I lied to them. I said I had done something I was supposed to, when I hadn’t. It took a long time for God to get through to me that lying is sin and He wanted me to stop. I didn’t want to hear about that and shut that thought out.

If you are serious about wanting to hear God speak to you, just ask Him to. Spend some time by yourself in a quiet place and think about God. Read the Bible and let God’s words fill your mind. God promises if we draw near to Him, He will draw near to us.

For the parent:
“Then God blessed them, and said to them, ‘Be fruitful and multiply;’ ”
Genesis 1:28 NKJV
“My sheep hear my voice, and I know them and they follow Me.”
John 10:27 NKJV

Can you hear God? God is always ready and desiring to speak to us. It is us who shut Him out at times.

There are many reasons why we sometimes can’t hear God speak to us. Here are some of the reasons I have discovered in my walk with Him.

Sometimes I am just so filled with the things of life; there is no room for a thought about God. These can be good things, like a fulfilling relationship. I sense this when our kids and grandkids come home for a weekend or for some celebration. I also sense it after I have spent time with my sisters. Both times, my heart is so full I just don’t need anyone else. At these times I tend to pray very infrequently and very short prayers.

Other times I can’t hear God because I’m busy catching up on my schedule. My mind is too full of the cares of life to hear Him.

Sometimes, sad to say, it’s because there is sin in my life and I’m not willing to deal with it, yet. I shut Him out.

In all of these times I have found the only solution is to lay each situation at His feet, to let go. I thank Him for my warm relationships that I can enjoy but realize that it’s because we are one in His Spirit that makes it so.

I force myself to stop what I’m doing when I’m behind and spend time with Him. I’ve learned that as I give Him time, He gives me time and energy to finish my work on schedule.

And I repent when He convicts me of sin. As I draw near to God, He draws near to me.