Any time I’m asked this question, I can tense up for a moment. It’s not that God hasn’t been speaking to me – Jesus said that His sheep will hear His voice (John 10:4). Jesus also said that He would send the Holy Spirit to teach us (John 14:26). This question causes a tension within me because it requires me to respond to it in two ways; not just one. The first aspect of the question that I must respond to is whether I have heard God speak. Hearing is the ability to perceive sound: thus, we speak of people as being hearing-impaired if they cannot hear sounds. For most people who do not have significant hearing loss, we hear many, many sounds constantly. That brings up the second aspect of the question which is whether I have been listening to God. While the Internet isn’t necessarily the best place for information, a quick search of “hearing vs listening” can show the difference that notes listening is about consciousness and understanding of what we are hearing.

For instance, I’m typing this at my home right now with the windows open. Current sounds include the wind, birds, a dishwasher running, a TV show playing and clicking from me typing on my laptop. While concentrating on what I am typing, most of those sounds are usually ignored and filtered from my consciousness. There could also be traffic sounds, breathing sounds and other sounds that I am just not perceiving right now. Amidst all the noise of life, where does God fit within the scope of our hearing and listening. Do we hear God speak while we pray, while we read Scripture, while we dream, through visions, through life circumstances, etc.? Then, are we listening – going beyond awareness to understanding.

Listening to God’s voice then raises a secondary question – am I responding to His voice? Jesus said that we must be willing to do God’s will if we want to discern His voice from the others we hear (John 7:17). Jesus also said that we should be careful to not call Him Lord if we not going to do what He tells us (Luke 6:46). Being His sheep, being His people, being His disciples … this comes with a responsibility. We need to work on hearing His voice but then we must work on obeying His voice. While this may seem to be a personal matter, recognizing the voice of God and responding to it is something we are supposed to do together. Together we are supposed to discern and discover the love of God (Ephesians 3:14-19). Together we are supposed to interpret Scripture and prophecy (2 Peter 1:20). Even the leaders of the early church knew that they had to function in community (Acts 15). I’ve seen people wander away from a solid, biblical faith when interpreting God’s voice in Scripture and as they believe they have heard in other ways because they abandoned this truth and went on their own.

Let’s journey together in the great adventure of living for God.

Pastor Merril