Devotional: How to Hear from God
God is always speaking. But are we listening? The world’s temptations, trials and sin can drown out God’s voice. We often hear the things of God, but we do not listen for the voice of God. We are selective listeners at best. We need to train our ear to hear God’s voice and learn to understand God’s language. When we climb the watchtower of prayer by yielding our time and our lives to God, we become sensitive to God’s voice. The holy spirit will then speak to us through our dreams, open or closed doors, people in our lives, pain, and promptings of the holy spirit. The result is that God’s direction will guide us; God’s perfection will grow us; and God’s correction will challenge us to new levels of faith and maturity.
Questions for Meditation
- Read Proverbs 8:34 (NIV). What is the difference between hearing and listening? Which one have you been doing?
- Who has the loudest voice in your life (job, finances, relationships, family, trials, etc.)? What effect does the loudest voice have on you?
- Read John 8:47 NIV. Have you ever doubted that God is speaking? Who does God speak to?
- Whether Dreams, Desires, Doors, People, Pain, Promptings what languages has God spoken to you in?
- What does Habakkuk 2:1 (NLT) teach about how to recognize God’s language when he is speaking to you? What is the benefit of being situated up high with the clear view?
- What does the direction, perfection and correction in God’s voice produce in us?
- What will you do to learn God’s language and know to identify his voice?