When was the last time that you felt God speaking to you? How did He speak to you? What did He say to you? We live in a culture that doesn’t believe in a God who speaks. Over time, if we adopt the culture’s beliefs and practices, God will seem awfully silent or nonexistent.
We’ve all gone through dry spells and tough times when it feels like God isn’t there with or for us, when we haven’t been able to hear His voice. But God is continuously revealing Himself. Yesterday I read these words from Psalm 29. The voice of the LORD: echoes above the sea. The God of glory thunders…The voice of God is powerful. The voice of the LORD is full of majesty. The voice of the LORD splits the mighty cedars. He makes mountains skip…The voice of the LORD strikes like lightning bolts. The voice of the LORD makes deserts shake and quake. The voice of the LORD twists mighty oaks and strips the forests bare. What’s your response? In David’s psalm, everyone in the temple shouted “GLORY!” to the God who reigns forever, giving His people strength and peace.
This week I experienced God speaking through birds, through the skies, through people of all ages, through animals, through songs, through art expressions, through storytelling, through His Holy Word, through prayer, through work, and through play. Over the years, God has trained me to listen on a variety of levels. He speaks through my thoughts and feelings. He gives messages through my body. He speaks through history and through experience. He speaks through authors and artists. He speaks through people’s verbal and nonverbal expressions. He speaks through pain and problems. He speaks with and without words.
Listen to these words that I read last week from Psalm 19: “The skies display His marvelous craftsmanship. Day after day they continue to speak; night after night they make Him known. They speak without a sound or a word; their voice is silent in the skies; yet their message has gone out to all the earth, and their words to all the world.”
I frequently tell people, “What you feed grows, and what you starve dies.” It’s true with gardening. It’s true with our bodies. It’s true with our thoughts, feelings, and relationships. It’s true with our passions, hobbies, and addictions. It’s also true when it comes to our hearing. I usually hear what I’m listening for and what I pay attention to each day. If you’re listening to hear and understand and obey God’s voice, God has so many different ways to communicate His truth, life, ways, love, and grace. But hearing God’s voice doesn’t just happen. We have to train ourselves to hear His voice; or God trains us to hear His voice.
Over time I’ve discovered that it’s hard for me to hear God’s voice when I’m talking, when people around me are talking a lot, when I’m distracted, when I’m preoccupied, when I’m full of something else, when I’m on social media, when I’m in a hurry, when I’m too busy, or when I haven’t had coffee.
Despite being incredibly ADHD, I’ve been learning over time to listen and hear and obey God’s voice by practicing spiritual disciplines, by carving out uninterrupted, lingering time with God and His Word, by slowing down the pace of my life, by tuning my five senses into His expressions, by listening to people, and by approaching each day as if it’s a school, and I’m a student-teacher. What I see and learn and hear God saying and doing, I pass on to those around me. I also have to frequently confess my sins and ask God to empty out of me all that distracts, consumes, and displeases Him. He’s good at that!
Eventually we get pretty good at what we practice each day. The more time we spend practicing the presence of God and listening for His voice, the easier it becomes to discern His voice.
Thought provoking and encouraging! I especially appreciated the reference to Psalm 19 and God’s speaking without a word through the beauty of creation. When we lose our sense of wonder, much is lost.