Hearing the Voice of God, Part 2

The second thing that we need to do to hear the voice of God is to allow Him to speak to us in the way He chooses. We don't need to dictate to Him concerning the guidance methods that we prefer. Remember that His ways are not our ways. He is Lord and we are merely servants.

I'm reminded of 1 Samuel 3:9-10 when Eli said to little Samuel "...go lie down: and it shall be, if he call thee, that thou shalt say, Speak, LORD; for thy servant heareth. So Samuel went and lay down in his place. And the LORD came, and stood, and called as at other times, Samuel, Samuel. Then Samuel answered, Speak; for thy servant heareth.” So, just like little Samuel, listen with a yielded heart; there is a direct link between yieldedness and hearing.

So, now we’ve talked about the steps that are necessary to hear God’s voice…what are some ways that God may choose to speak to us? 1. Through His Word - This could come in our daily reading, or He could guide us to a particular verse of Scripture. Psalm 119:105 says, “Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path.” 2. Through an audible voice - Exodus 3:4 says, “And when the LORD saw that he turned aside to see, God called unto him out of the midst of the bush, and said, Moses, Moses. And he said, Here am I.” 3. Through dreams - Matthew 2:11-13 says, “And when they were come into the house, they saw the young child with Mary his mother, and fell down, and worshipped him: and when they had opened their treasures, they presented unto him gifts; gold, and frankincense, and myrrh. And being warned of God in a dream that they should not return to Herod, they departed into their own country another way. And when they were departed, behold, the angel of the Lord appeareth to Joseph in a dream, saying, Arise, and take the young child and his mother, and flee into Egypt, and be thou there until I bring thee word: for Herod will seek the young child to destroy him.” 4. Through visions - Revelation 1:10-11 says, “I was in the Spirit on the Lord's day, and heard behind me a great voice, as of a trumpet, Saying, I am Alpha and Omega, the first and the last: and, What thou seest, write in a book, and send it unto the seven churches which are in Asia; unto Ephesus, and unto Smyrna, and unto Pergamos, and unto Thyatira, and unto Sardis, and unto Philadelphia, and unto Laodicea.”

But by far, probably the most common of all means of God speaking to us is…5. Through a quiet inner voice. More on that next time.