LISTENING TO GOD | Northstar Church

“I listen carefully to what God the LORD is saying, for he speaks peace to his faithful people” – Psalm 85.8.

Sometimes, people will believe we are not listening to them, and they will blurt out, “Listen.” When that happens, we shift gears to thinking, “I need to hear this.” It could be listening to a teacher’s instructions, listening to your parents, or maybe a friend sharing something they want to make sure we hear. But what if it is God saying, “listen.” Sometimes, we are so busy talking to God through prayer that we forget that God wants us to listen because He wants to speak to us. When it comes to hearing from God, the main question we need to answer is often the most basic one: Do we want to hear from Him?

The foundation of any relationship is communication. God wants you to hear His voice and follow Him. Most people’s honest reaction is: “Does God speak today because I have a hard time hearing Him?” The reality is that God has always spoken to His people. God spoke to Noah about how to build a boat. God spoke to Joshua and told him to march around Jericho. God spoke to Daniel with prophecies of the future. God spoke to Elijah and brought fire down from heaven. God spoke to Moses face to face, as one friend to another. Psalm 50:3 (NIV) says, “Our God comes and will not be silent….” The question is not, “Does God still speak?” The question is, “Are we listening?”

We probably will never hear His voice with our ears. God speaks to us through His word. It may be a passage of scripture you’ve read many times, but if you reread it, you will find something very applicable to your current situation. “Love the LORD your God, listen to his voice, and hold fast to him…” (Deuteronomy 30.20 NIV). Psalm 85:8 (NLT) says, “ “I listen carefully to what God the LORD is saying, for he speaks peace to his faithful people….” 1 Samuel 3.10 (NIV) says, “…Speak, for your servant is listening,” Matthew 11:15 (NLT) says, “Anyone with ears to hear should listen and understand!” And finally, Hebrews 3:15 (NIV) says, “Today, if you hear his voice, do not harden your hearts as you did in the rebellion.”

The problem with many of us today is that we read through God’s word, but we are intent on mastering the text; we are trying to dissect it for its meaning so we can talk more intelligently about God. There is nothing wrong with deep Biblical study as long as we remember that reading the Bible is not to accumulate data about Him, in John 5:39, Jesus tells the best -read Bible students of His day: “You search the Scriptures because you think they give you eternal life. But the Scriptures point to me!”

If we want to hear from God, we must read more than words. We need to encounter Him as the living God we want to follow.

While there are many methods to try to hear from God, it’s likely He’s been speaking to you this whole time. The key is to tune your ear to Him.

Discussion Questions:

What assurance do you have from God’s Word that God intends for us to hear His voice in very personal ways in our lives?
How do we distinguish God’s voice from the many others?