How to hear from God
So, you want to hear from God, eh? First, you should stop listening. If your experience is anything like mine, you have heard people talk about God’s voice thundering down on their ears and then you began to wonder why you have never heard His voice for yourself.
Let me ask you this: would you rather watch a video of a pizza or have one in your hand? Would you rather look at a painting of a flower or stand near it in the garden and enjoy its beauty? In both of these illustrations, you have two things: one the real and the other the expression of that real thing.
There is a hierarchy of communication. Let’s say my wife needed to let me know something, so she drew me a little picture to get the idea across. That might work or I could be left wondering what the drawing was supposed to mean. I would rather read a text from my wife than just see a little sketch she drew. If I had the option, I would rather hear a recording of her voice than just read a text from her. If I could, though, I would rather see a video of her since facial expression and gestures carry a lot more info than just the voice. Better than those, I would rather talk to her in person because a video is not the full dimension of a person. Then, there is something better than just to see or hear her talk, I would want to sense what she is saying, to look her in the eye and “get it” without a word being spoken. We don’t achieve this deepest level of communication with many people in life.
Jesus speaks to you and me on a deep level. Thought-to-thought transfer is a deeper level of communication than humans can do for the most part. But this is how He speaks.
I used to think the ultimate experience in God was to hear His audible voice or see Him in the flesh. Instead, He has designated for us to have a deeper connection with Him. Instead of an eye-to-eye relationship, we sadly often look for a lesser quality communication.
So many times God has given a promise to my heart that I struggled to put words to. That word came with joy, excitement, confidence, or deepened faith. If you share such a message with someone else, they might say, “So what did He tell you?” Perhaps you will do as I have, “I can’t really say, but I just know it will happen!”
Our thoughts work so much faster than our tongues. Our ideas are so much more creative and expansive than words can express. Language is merely rough sketches trying to show the wonder of the Grand Canyon.
Spoken words are a method of conveying thoughts, but they are not the thoughts themselves. When I am in tune with Him, I get the direct transfer without it being garbled by words. He can tip me off about trouble coming, prompt me on who to pray for and how to pray, and give me peace in the middle of a stressful situation even when I don’t know how He will solve it.
Some of your strongest moments of communication have been without words. Have you ever looked into your dad’s eyes and known you were in big trouble? Have you ever looked into the eyes of someone and known they were grieving the death of someone close and you had not even heard about it yet?
Many times I can look in my wife’s eyes and know what she is thinking. We might be across a room but I can see she is dealing with a difficult person, feeling pain in her body, or simply having a great time and enjoying the people we are with. No sign language, no words, no texts, just two people in tune with one another.
If you would like to learn this technique, let me sell you a course on learning to listen without words for only $997. Just kidding. You learn to communicate without always using words by being close to a person, but getting to know them. No one can teach you this but you can learn it. Once you know a person, you often will be able to predict how they will respond to something.
You can hear the voice of God at the grocery store if you grab a candy bar and stick it in your pocket. You won’t hear, “Hey, you, I saw that. Don’t make me come down there!” You will feel the communication in your heart. You will feel how He feels about your sin.
After Peter denied Jesus, they both locked eyes. No words needed. Pete went out and wept brokenly.
Yes, the Lord has spoken to me audibly before. He often speaks to me through His texts (the Bible). But the closer I get to Him, the more I can hear without words.
What about you? What have you learned about hearing from the Lord?
16 Comments
To keep my mouth shut n LISTEN….
Yes. They say we cannot talk and listen at the same time. Maybe this is why we must meditate on His word and be still and know that He is God.
In my 30 plus years of having the Holy Ghost I havent heard God speak to me that much, but when he does I sure know it. One Sunday morning I was praying by myself during the altar call and I was praying for my children and getting a little discouraged and impatient because things were not happening like I wanted them to, and then I heard him say very clearly “Didnt I promise you”? I learned how much he cares about me by speaking to me when I am discouraged.
That’s awesome!
All I can say is wow! Thank you for confirming what I had thought was true. I do find myself at times wanting God to just talk to me audibly about a very difficult or hard situation. We want answers fast but that is not how God works all the time. He is a perfect and on time God! This I know. His timing is perfect. I have heard many stories of God speaking to others without words but in their thoughts. I have always heard that is the Holy Ghost. Thank you! Awesome article.
So glad!
So true, God doesn’t always speak in an audible voice. He speaks to me through His Word and a lot of time through thoughts. When I am quiet, that’s when He can speak to me. Love this blog. 😊
Ah yes. Quiet is such a rarity. Early morning is when I “hear” Him best.
I would often wake in the middle of the night and have a hard time going back to sleep. After a short time I learned that God was speaking to me and telling me to pray. I learned that if I would do that that it would be no time and I was able to go back to sleep. Very thankful I learned to listen to him in that manner. Still need to learn to listen more.
Yes! Before digging for a midnight snack, I have learned to check in with HQ and see if He has a mission for me at that moment.
Draw me NEARER blessed Lord…..
When I’m near, the better I hear!
Many times I hear God speaking to me through prayers that just came out of my mouth. Those were prayers and at the same time answers to my yearnings and heartfelt need.
Yes! He does this too!
Excellent! This made me think of an old french saying — si tu ne comprends pas mon silence, tu ne comprendras mes paroles: if you do not understand my silence, you will not understand my words. Thanks for sharing this wisdom….
That is a great statement in any language. Thanks! I see that being a great coffee mug.