Listening to God’s Voice

Devotional Reading: The Spirit shows what is true and will come and guide you into the full truth. The Spirit doesn’t speak on his own. He will tell you only what he has heard from me, and he will let you know what is going to happen. John 16:13 CEV

The Bible clearly teaches that God speaks to his people. Jesus teaches us in John 16:13 that “When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all the truth, for he will not speak on his own authority, but whatever he hears he will speak, and he will declare to you the things that are to come.” In John 10:27 God tells us, “My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me.”

God promises to speak to you as his child. He longs to tell you his love for you even more than you long to hear it. He longs to tell you his plans even more than you want to know them.

There hasn’t been a single thing more impactful in my life than hearing the voice of God. His voice is so tender when I need tenderness, corrective when sin and error constricts my life, and powerful when only he can make the changes in my life that need to be made. He speaks perfectly, never a word out of place and always at the perfect time. You might hear God more than you think.

I’ve never heard him speak audibly to me, but every day he whispers to my heart what I need to know. There are days I don’t stop to listen. There are times I allow the weight of the world to crowd out his voice. But as I turn my heart back towards him, I find out that he was there—speaking all along.

He whispers of his love for me when I feel crushed by the opinion of man. He tells me he’s proud of me when I feel like everything I’m doing doesn’t measure up. He whispers of his plans for me when I turn and go my own way. It’s not because I’m gifted in some certain way that I hear his voice, but rather because God in his grace loves to speak.

God has never made a spiritually deaf person. You can hear God because his voice is immeasurably more about his love than your abilities. You are his child; his love for you is vast, unchanging and unceasing. All it takes to hear him is simply inclining an ear to him and allowing his words to take root in you.

As he speaks of his love, you will feel the chains of the world fall off. As he tells you of his purpose, you will discover that a plan has been in the works for you since before you were born. Choose to listen to his voice today; let it drown out the cares of the world and create a soil in you receptive to his seed, fertile and filled with the fruit of the Spirit.

Prayer and Confession
Jesus, Help me to listen for your voice continually.

Further Reading: John 10