Sometimes people wonder if God actually speaks to them. They go through life confused, trying to understand what needs to be done in order to hear from the Lord. The prophet Jeremiah wrote “Call to Me, and I will answer you, and show you great and mighty things, which you do not know.’ (Jer 33:3) God clearly wants us to call Him, and He is always ready to pick up the phone and speak with us. Since the Lord says He will answer, the first step we must take in order to hear from Him to is to call.
Secondly, we must believe that He WILL answer us. We would never place a telephone call without expecting the party we called to answer and speak with us. Having the same expectation when we call upon the Lord makes it much easier to hear His voice. Prayer is not an exercise where we talk at God, but one in which we speak to Him AND listen to what He says. Simply speaking to our Father and quietly listening to His voice gives Him the opportunity to show us great and mighty things. Constantly talking to Him without listening is a one-way street with a dead end.
A Quiet Voice
Believers are often expecting to hear God in miraculous and powerful ways, yet He most often speaks quietly. 1 Kings 19:11-13 tells us “but the Lord was not in the wind; and after the wind an earthquake, but the Lord was not in the earthquake; and after the earthquake a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire; and after the fire a still small voice. So it was, when Elijah heard it..” Elijah discovered that hearing from God was not about powerful demonstration, but about peaceful and quiet communication. Choosing to converse with the Lord and listening for His still, small voice will keep us in the position to hear what He says.
Every born-again believer is connected with the Holy Spirit. Jesus told His disciples “But the Helper (Comforter, Advocate, Intercessor—Counselor, Strengthener, Standby), the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name [in My place, to represent Me and act on My behalf], He will teach you all things. And He will help you remember everything that I have told you. (John 14:26) The Holy Spirit is responsible to teach us and remind us of the things that Jesus said and are recorded in the Bible, and also the things He is saying to us today. The Spirit of God is always speaking to us. As Romans 8:14+16 tells us: “For all who are led by the Spirit of God are children of God. For his Spirit joins with our spirit to affirm that we are God’s children.”
Hearing His Voice
The Holy Spirit has the information we need. When we pray, we must spend time listening to what He says in response to our inquiries. He is constantly speaking to all of us, waiting for us to listen and do what He says. Talk to God and expect to hear from Him: He always speaks, He always answers, and He WILL talk with you today!
