Hearing God’s Voice

1 Samuel 3

Lately, I have had this strong impression to share with people about God’s love, specifically, His personal love… the one that He wants to show us in our relationship with Him. God (specifically Jesus, who is God) is the same yesterday, today and forever (Hebrews 13:8). In the Bible, we read over and over again about people hearing God’s voice or knowing that God spoke to them. Since God is the same for all time, shouldn’t we expect Him to speak to us still today? Some people will say (and I used to be one of those people), “Yes. He speaks through His Word that He has given to us.” I still totally agree with this statement. However, I also believe that He speaks to us about every day matters as well, when we have conversations with Him. The problem with which we seem to struggle is knowing that it is God’s voice and not our own.

Now Samuel did not yet know the LORD, neither was the word of the LORD yet revealed unto him.
1 Sameul 3:7

In the book of Exodus, Moses gets called by a burning bush… or so it seemed. He had to draw close and examine it and then respond to what he heard. Often times, we believe we may have heard God, but we do not respond. As I was reading this morning in 1 Samuel, it occurred to me that it is because we may not have learned to respond because we haven’t trained ourselves to listen to God’s voice. In 1 Samuel 3, Samuel is a young boy who is being raised by the priest Eli in the temple of God. One night, Samuel hears a voice call, and Samuel responds, “Here am I.” However, Samuel ran to Eli and told Eli, “Here am I,” as he was sure that Eli had called to him. Eli responded, “I did not call you,” and he sent Samuel back to bed. This happened three times. It is stated of Samuel in 1 Samuel 3:7, “Now Samuel did not yet know the LORD, neither was the word of the LORD yet revealed unto him.” In other words, Samuel had never heard God speak to him before.

Therefore Eli said unto 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.
1 Sameul 3:9

The third time this happened, Eli “perceived that the LORD had called the child” (1 Samuel 3:8). So, Eli gave Samuel instructions about RESPONDING to the LORD’S voice. These instructions are the same for us today. Eli told Samuel to say, “Speak, LORD; for thy servant hears” (1 Samuel 3:9). Samuel did just this and the LORD spoke to him things about Eli and Eli’s family. In this particular case, Samuel was given a word of knowledge from the Lord. The point is this, Samuel heard God’s voice, but he did not, at first, know to respond to God’s voice. As Samuel grew, he learned to hear the voice of the Lord and to communicate to God asking for God’s guidance and direction and help. In fact, it is stated of Samuel in 1 Samuel 3:19 “And Samuel grew, and the LORD was with him, and did let none of his words fall to the ground.” And this “letting words fall to the ground” is exactly what I believe we tend to do today!

And Samuel grew, and the LORD was with him, and did let none of his words fall to the ground.
1 Samuel 3:19

If we want a close, intimate relationship with the Lord, we need to spend time getting to know God (i.e. reading His Word) and we need to pray to Him (speaking to God). However, we often stop there. We should also spend time speaking to God and listening to God. When we believe we hear Him speak to us, we need to OBEY!!! So, how do we know if it is the LORD speaking or simply our own conscience speaking to us. First, we need to be believers in the Lord Jesus Christ so that we know that the Holy Spirit resides in us. If we have confessed with our mouth the Lord (Master) Jesus, and believed in our hearts that God has raised Him from the dead, then we are saved and the Holy Spirit lives within us. If that is the case, then we know that we are God’s child. Now, we need to “listen” for God’s voice and “respond.” When we hear something that we believe is from God, we need to first be sure that it lines up with Scripture. If it is truly God speaking, He will not tell us something that is opposite to what He has given us in His Word. For instance, He will not tell us to worship something else or to pray to someone other than God Himself and He will not tell us to sin in any way. When we speak to God, it is sometimes, literally, a two-way conversation. Sometimes God provides a verse or comfort to us (as He often did the apostles and King David as seen in the Psalms). Sometimes He provides direction and guidance (as in the case of Noah and Moses and King David). Sometimes He gives us a word of knowledge (in the case of Samuel). Regardless, if we do not take the time to listen, and then to respond, how will we develop that close, intimate relationship with our heavenly Father.

I would like to challenge you today, as I challenge myself every day, take time to spend with God. Read His Word, pray to Him, and LISTEN and RESPOND!!!! If you do, you will be amazed at how your relationship with our heavenly Father will deepen and you will gain a sense of peace and joy. This relationship with God and our Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, is the greatest gift we could ever have… and the best relationship for which we could ever ask. Seek Him and be blessed!

When I Doubt

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Lately, I have had many reasons to be walking on water, so-to-speak, with respect to my faith. I have seen God move in both my life and the lives of those around me. I have been keeping my eyes on God through the highs of life, through the exciting things that are happening around me. In the midst of those highs, struggles have come. I have been drawn to Jesus because of the storms that swirl around me, and yet, I see Jesus right there beside me and I am not afraid.

This weekend, something different hit me, and I found myself doubting and fearing. This morning, as I read in Matthew 14, I realized what happened from a Spiritual perspective. In Matthew 14, Jesus had constrained his disciples to get into a ship after the feeding of the 5000 people. He sent them away while he sent the multitudes away so that He (Jesus) could go into a mountain to pray. There came up a storm in the night and the ship, on which the disciples were, was tossed by the waves. It was literally the fourth watch of the night… the darkest part of the night… meaning it had been a long, strenuous night for the disciples. During this watch, they saw Jesus walking toward the boat on the sea. At first, they were troubled and they cried out for fear. I find it interesting (although this is not the point of this blog) that it wasn’t the storm that troubled the disciples and made them fear, it was the sight of this figure coming towards them that made them fearful! Jesus spoke and told them to “Be of good cheer; it is I; be not afraid.” (Matthew 14:27)

Peter then thought he recognized the voice of Jesus and said, “Lord, if it be thou, bid me come unto thee on the water.” Jesus told him to come. When Peter came out of the ship, he WALKED ON WATER. This, for me, is like a spiritual high. I believe that I am hearing from the Lord and I want to obey. I am quick to do what I believe he is calling me to do. That happened about a month ago. I believed the Lord called me to something. I prayed for a bit and then felt His confirmation. I moved forward, made plans, and then continued moving forward… walking on water (so-to-speak). But, “when he [Peter] saw the wind boisterous, he was afraid” (v. 30) and he began to sink!

This weekend, something about my plans became difficult. There was a storm thrown into the mix that I did not foresee. In my flesh, I cried out to God. I decided in my fear that I was not going to move forward. I began to sink. I felt fear and anxiety over the situation. I was sinking… because of my doubt. When Peter began to sink, he cried out saying, “Lord, save me.” I was in that place. I knelt at the altar and someone, during our prayer time at church, read 1 Peter 5:6, “Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, that he may exalt you in due time.” Humility is simply taking no thought for yourself. That is exactly what I was doing. I was fearful. I was afraid for myself, my emotions, my challenges. I realized then that God had called me to this. He knew waaaayyyy before I did what circumstances were going to surround this calling, even if I didn’t know. He was telling me to do as He calls, not taking any thought for myself. I need to walk in obedience.

Peter cried out while he was sinking. He HAD NOT SANK!! He knew to whom He needed to call out… and he did. Immediately, Jesus stretched forth his hand and caught Peter. His words to Peter spoke so clearly to me this morning, “O thou of little faith, wherefore didst thou doubt?” (Matthew 14:31) This all happened WHILE Jesus and Peter were STILL ON THE WATER.

Maybe there are things God calls us to. Maybe He calls us while we are on a spiritual high (again, so-to-speak). We are walking in faith, even in the storms of life, and we are feeling brave because we have our eyes on Jesus. But, then, maybe something gets thrown at us that we didn’t expect. Remember, Jesus constrained the disciples to get on the ship. He sat on a mountain praying. He walked on water to the disciples. He KNEW the storm was there! Peter wasn’t sure that he heard the voice of Jesus, but when he was sure, he walked right out onto that water to meet Jesus. Then, for a moment, he looked away and began to sink. He didn’t completely sink… Jesus caught Him. Jesus’s only words to Peter were, “Why did you doubt?”

Oh God, forgive me for doubting. I am so grateful that You didn’t let me sink. You showed me that you have “constrained me” for this time/event. You knew beforehand what storms would come. You simply want me to walk in humility, taking no thought for myself, and follow you. You want to show Yourself strong. You want to be exalted through my humility. Oh God, teach me to keep my eyes clearly focused on you. And, when I doubt, as we all do, thank you that you stretch forth your hand and catch us. Oh God, thank you for your loving kindnesses. In Jesus’s precious and Holy Name I pray, Amen.

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God does still speak. Are you quiet enough to listen? (Part 2)

Just after I wrote Part 1, I was reading in Numbers 7. The Israelites were bringing their gifts to offer to the LORD after the tabernacle was fully set up. Moses went into the tabernacle of the congregation to speak with God. It states in verse 89 that Moses “heard the voice of one speaking unto him from off the mercy seat that was upon the ark of testimony, from between the two cherubims: and he spoke unto him.” All of Numbers 8 records what the LORD spoke to Moses. So, once again, we see that God speaks to Moses, this time in a new way.

Continuing to look through Scripture, we see that in 1 Kings 19:12, Elijah heard God in a still small voice. The kings and prophets, and even herdsmen, in Judges, the Kings, and the Chronicles heard the Lord speak. God came to them in voices (as in the case of Saul’s mother and father in Judges 13). He came to them in visions to the prophets, as in Isaiah, Ezekiel and Daniel. God spoke to them in dreams (as to Peter in Acts 10-11). Paul saw a light and heard the voice of Jesus speaking to Him in Acts 9. Again, if God is the same yesterday, today, and forever (Hebrews 13:8), then we know that God still speaks today. So, the question is, “Are you listening?” How do we hear God today?

It is my opinion that today our lives are so busy that we don’t give God the time to speak… or rather, we don’t spend the time listening. Think about it. In the Biblical times, both Old Testament times and New Testament times, there were not cars and factories and radios and MP3s and televisions and computers and fans and refrigerators and washing machines and everything else that makes noise. Just listen to what you are hearing right now as you read this. I am guessing that there is something making a noise somewhere. How can we hear a small voice if we aren’t listening? How can we hear a still small voice if there is so much noise?

Often times we hear people say that they feel closer to God when they are in nature… in the woods, near a lake, on a beach, someplace that has only nature’s sounds. Somehow, even with all of those sounds, it is “quiet.” Why is this? Well, let’s ponder this for a moment.

God knows everyone of us. Why wouldn’t he? He created us. So, if God knows each of us, then he also knows how we best hear from Him. Some of us may understand Him better in dreams. We are seeing in many parts of the Middle East that Muslims are having dreams of Jesus coming to them. Some of us may hear from God by seeing visions of Him. I know personally of several people who have had visions of Jesus speaking to them, or showing Himself to them, and others who have seen God’s glory in a vision and heard His voice speaking to them. Others only hear His voice speaking to them, maybe even audibly. Most of us hear from Him in a way that only we can know that He has spoken to us. It is an impression or an exact answer to prayer while reading a Scripture or we just pray something and someone says something that is exactly what we were praying about. Many times it is through the rhema (Word of God). In Ephesians 6: 17, it says (when speaking of Spiritual warfare), “And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God…” The word “word” in this verse is the Greek word “rhema” which means “that which is or has been uttered by the living voice”, “A thing spoken”, “a series of words joined together into a sentence (a declaration of one’s mind made in words).”

Have you ever had a time when you were reading the Bible and a verse really seemed to keep leaping off the page at you? This would be your “rhema”… a word spoken by God to you. Sometimes we have been praying about something and a verse seems to directly answer what we were just praying. I have found that in reading my Bible daily, I hear God give me comfort, give me direction, provide an answer to a specific prayer, prepare me for my day, and so on. God doesn’t always have an audible voice (aloud), but I just know that He is speaking to me. I have learned to question what I believe God is saying. Sometimes I will write in my journal, “God, are you saying such and such to me?” specifically writing what I feel He is saying. I have learned how God speaks to me through a series of trial and error. As I have learned to carry on two-way conversations with God, I have learned that He does speak to me almost audibly sometimes. I have even been blessed with two very distinct visions of Jesus as He spoke to me and called me by name. “Why me?” I ask. But then I am reminded that He wants everyone to know Him, so why not me?**

I believe that God speaks to each of us differently. My husband does not speak to me the same way that he speaks to our children or the people with whom he works or the people to whom he ministers. He speaks to each in a way that they understand. Since God created each one of us so uniquely, He can speak to each of us in different ways. We see throughout Scripture (and biographies of Christians throughout time) that God did speak to people differently in all of history. The challenge is simply this… listen!! Set time aside each day to come to God and His Word EXPECTANTLY!! The Bible is not a book of stories, it is history and God’s living Word (Hebrews 4:12, 2 Thessalonians 3:16). Often times, God’s Word (the Bible) is God’s way of communicating to us right where we are. He provides those words of comfort or direction or rebuke or love. He shows compassion in what He says to us and, he shows us his sternness when necessary. He directs us in the way we are to deal with other people and in the way we should live our lives. He redirects us in our activities if we will be open to hear what He has to show us.

Make time today and ask God to speak to you… then take the time to listen!! He may not speak every day in the same way, but He will teach you every day or minister to you every day. Don’t let the relationship become stale. How do you think a spouse would feel if he or she were never listened to or never spoken to, either one or the other? A relationship requires both types of communication, listening and speaking. So, pray and speak to God, but also sit and listen for Him… while reading His Word and after reading His word and throughout the day. God does speak in a still small voice, or an impression, or a catch in your spirit. Don’t ignore this! You just may find yourself in a whole new relationship with God when you listen.

** In Ezekiel, it states some 66 times the phrase “that they shall ‘know that I am the LORD.’” This phrase is used in speaking of both the Israelites and those nations around them. God used the circumstances between Pharaoh and Moses so they would “know that I am the LORD” (Exodus 6:7, 7:5), both the Israelites and the Egyptians. We are told in the New Testament (John 20:31) that “these are written that you might believe Jesus is the Christ the Son of God; and that believing ye might have life through his name.” Hebrews 8:10-11 says, “For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, saith the Lord; I will put my laws into their mind, and write them in their hearts: and I will be to them a God, and they shall be to me a people: and they shall not teach every man his neighbor, and every man his brother, saying, Know the Lord: for ALL SHALL KNOW ME, from the least to the greatest.” Finally, 2 Peter 3:18a states, “But grow in grace, and in the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ.”

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God does still speak. Are you quiet enough to listen? (Part 1)

We all have things for which we pray. Some people know the God to whom they pray, and some people just pray hoping that there is a God out there that hears them. The Bible assures us that God hears us. (1 John 5:14) If we are seeking Him, we are sure to find Him, when we seek Him with all of our heart. (Deuteronomy 4:29) This is definitely a subject worth exploring, but this is not the point I want to make today. I want to address the question: “Does God still speak to us today?”

The Bible states that God is the same yesterday, today, and forever (Hebrews 13:8). So, how did God speak to people in the past? With Adam, God took him and put him into the Garden of Eden to dress it and to keep it. How did Adam know that he was supposed to do this? Also, the LORD God commanded Adam that he could eat from every tree of the garden except of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.(Genesis 2:17) How did Adam hear God tell him this? Was it a voice? Was there a presence? Did Adam see God? Later, when Adam, and his wife Eve, ate from the tree of the knowledge of good evil, Genesis 3:8 tells us that they heard the voice of the LORD God walking in the garden. So, they heard God’s voice. God spoke to them, a running conversation back and forth. It doesn’t say that Adam SAW God, only that he knew he was there in the garden, and that there was a presence of the LORD God among them, and that Adam HEARD God’s voice.

In the next major event in history, as recorded in the Bible, we see Cain and Abel, Adam and Eve’s children, bringing offerings unto the LORD (Genesis 4). It doesn’t tell us how Cain and Abel did this, but they each brought an offering unto the LORD. We are told that God had respect for Abel’s gift and not Cain’s and that Cain was very angry about this. Then, the LORD spoke to Cain in verse 6. It doesn’t record whether or not Cain responded to God. However, Cain then killed Abel in his anger, and the LORD spoke to Cain again. This time, Cain responded. God said, “Where is Abel thy brother?” (Vs. 9, after Cain had killed Abel), and Cain responded with, “I know not: Am I my brother’s keeper.” So, we know that Cain somehow heard God, and then, he carried on a conversation with God… by speaking back to God. Did Cain speak aloud or only in his heart? This is not recorded. However, we know that after God told Cain what his punishment would be, Cain KNEW that God had spoken, and could carry out what He had told Cain. How do we know this? Because Cain said to God, “My punishment is greater than I can bear.” (v. 13) Cain then tells God that God has driven him out of the land, acknowledging that God is the one that gave this punishment (see Genesis 4:8-15). The Lord then speaks to Cain and gives Cain a promise and sets a mark upon Cain. In other words, God interacts with Cain, and Cain is aware that this is a two-way conversation.

Fast-forward to the next God-person interaction in the Bible to see how Noah interacts with God. In Genesis 6, God speaks to Noah. We are not told how Noah heard God. Was it an audible voice? Was it a small voice? Was the presence of God there? Did Noah hear this in a dream or was it a vision or was he awake? We are not told that. We are simply told that God spoke to Noah and He told Noah that He was going to destroy the earth with a flood and that Noah was to build an ark. Noah must have KNOWN that this was God speaking because Noah spent the next 100 years building an ark. Then God spoke in some way and told Noah what animals were to be taken, and Noah obeyed God in “all that the LORD commanded him.” (Genesis 7:5) There is so much more to share about Noah, with the ark being closed up by God, and the rains coming, the floods descending, and the exit from the ark, and the rainbow in the sky as a sign to Noah… all of this with God speaking throughout the time to Noah and Noah responding in obedience to what he heard God speak.

Jumping ahead in time, we find another man named Abraham, known as the “friend of God” (2 Chronicles 20:7 and James 2:23) who heard from God. This time, we see God interacting with him somewhat differently. The LORD spoke to Abraham (still known as Abram) and called him out of a people group who worshipped multiple gods and said to him, “Get thee out of thy country, and from thy kindred, and from thy father’s house, unto a land that I will show thee: And I will make of thee a great nation, and I will bless thee, and make thy name great.” (Genesis 12:1-2) Somehow, Abraham knew that this was God’s words to him. We are not told how. It doesn’t tell us that Abraham saw God or that he felt God’s presence. It doesn’t tell us that there was an audible voice or a loud voice or a voice from the sky. So, how did Abraham know that this was the voice of God… a god that he should obey? Maybe it was just that he was being promised such great things that Abraham decided to follow this “voice” and obey it to see what it might bring to him. I may have been tempted to do that. Regardless of what I think, Abraham heard God speak somehow and obeyed. It simply says, “So Abram departed, as the LORD had spoken unto him.” (Genesis 12:4)

Next we are told that the LORD “appeared” to Abraham (Genesis 12:7). Again, it doesn’t say how. Was it a vision or a dream or an actual presence or did God look like a person? No matter how it was, Abraham built an altar there unto the LORD. We know that Abraham must have believed strongly that he was hearing from God because after when he went to battle to save his nephew Lot, Abram refused the gifts that the king of Sodom would offer to him by saying, “I have lift up mine hand unto the LORD, the most high God, the possessor of heaven and earth.” (Genesis 14:22) Later the LORD did come to Abraham in a vision (Genesis 15) and Abraham heard the LORD speak to him. This time, Abraham responded verbally in some way by carrying on a two-way conversation asking God how He was going to bring the things to pass that God was promising him. In the last event that I want to look at (there are many more that occurred between Abraham and God), God appeared to Abraham and pronounced who He was and what Abraham was to do (Genesis 17). This appearance made Abraham fall on his face and respond to God. It states, “God talked with Abraham”. Abraham even asked God to bless his son Ishmael while God was telling Abraham that he would give him a child from Sarah. (vs. 15-19) So, Abraham was carrying on a two-way conversation with God. This was not the last time that Abraham did this. He also spoke to God in a two-way conversation in Genesis 18. Abraham stood before the LORD, indicating a physical presence there with Abraham, carrying on a two way conversation. Abraham questioned the LORD and got immediate answers to his questions. (Vs. 22-23)

Finally, one person that cannot be overlooked in this study of how God spoke to our patriarchs is Moses. First, Moses was tending his flocks when he saw a burning bush (Exodus 3). Moses turned to this bush, and out of it he heard, “I am the God of thy father, …” and Moses hid his face because he was afraid to look upon God. Somehow, Moses heard a voice and was afraid to look as he believed it was God. The LORD went on to speak more to Moses, and Moses responded. In fact, as Moses led the people out of Egypt (by direction of the LORD God), he heard God (Exodus 3), spoke to God (Exodus 3 and 33), sang to the LORD (Exodus 15), followed God in the pillar of cloud by night and the pillar of fire by day (Exodus 13), and pleaded with God (Exodus 32). The Bible states that the LORD spoke unto Moses face to face, as a man speaks unto his friend, and Moses saw God’s glory. (Exodus 33)

If God is the same yesterday, today, and forever, we should expect that God would still be speaking to us in a like manner today.

Look for part 2 of “God does still speak. Are you quiet enough to listen?” to read more….