7 Questions to Hear the Voice of God
“Be Still and Know that I am God” is a phrase we often quote but do we actually obey it? To hear the voice of God is the most important thing you will do each day. Listening to know what God’s desires are for the day determine whether you are fulfilling His purposes for your life or merely wandering through the journey.
To be still is to not move or make a sound. When was the last time you were still…completely still? Each morning as I read portions of the Bible, I stop, place my hands in my lap, close my eyes, and simply think about the verse or phrase I read. I talk with God about it, prayerfully discussing it with Him while listening for His clarity and assurance.
And even though you may at times feel monotony defines your life, you’re wrong. Every day is another opportunity to live, breathe, listen, and develop deeper intimacy with God…the One you will be spending eternity with if you believe.
I awakened this morning with the compelling need to tell you how to hear God’s voice better through the art of listening for His voice. Here are 7 Questions to help you hear the voice of God when you read His Word each day:
1. What did the writer really mean?
As you read, ask the Holy Spirit to reveal something in God’s Word specifically for you each day…something He wants you to know and respond to at a heart level, not just with mental understanding. Read that phrase, verse, or verses in other translations (BibleGateway.com) for greater clarity. What is actually being communicated?
2. What does God want you to know about Himself?
What do you learn about God as a Person, His character qualities, His perspective, and His purposes and plans from this phrase or verse?
3. What does God want you to do as a result?
He alone set out your days before even one of them came to be (Psalm 139). He knows what you are about to experience, people you will meet, challenges you will confront, and decisions you will need to make. What might be His instructions for you as you face all that this day holds?
4. How will this time being still with God and hearing His voice affect your attitudes today?
How can you “flesh out” this verse in your life today? Do you need to be kind to someone you have difficulty appreciating? Do you need to be patient with someone you love who tends to function at a slower pace than you do? Do you need to remain silent when everything within you wants to scold or reprimand someone with whom you disagree?
5. How will these words encourage you today?
Maybe you are struggling with loneliness, anxiety, or depression. How will God’s words of love, compassion, and caring encourage you throughout the day to choose hope and peace in His Presence rather than take a deep dive into despair and self-pity.
6. How will hearing the voice of God impact your relationships?
Do you have a spouse, a child, or a friend who you need to love rather than criticize, judge, and condemn? Ask the Holy Spirit of Jesus Christ within you to give you His power to react differently according to God’s word of love rather than your own exasperated or volatile emotions.
7. Are you listening for God’s still, small voice?
When you seek God with all your heart, He promises He will answer. “Call to Me, and I will answer you and show you great and mighty things, which you do not know.” (Jeremiah 33:3) When you stop to hear the voice of God, He promises to respond, and His internal confirmation will be clear, offering you a calm assurance.
There are four ingredients that provide clarity when seeking to hear the voice of God…reading His Word in prayerful conversation with God, looking for His direction in the circumstances of life, receiving the counsel of believing friends, and the internal confirmation that all these align to bring direction. Let’s discuss these in the coming weeks.
If you have questions about this week’s blog, please email me. I look forward to hearing from you and discussing these thoughts further. May you have a blessed day!
