God answered immediately. I begged Him to dispel my troubling distractions. I got swept up in a debate with old friends: the headlines, divisions, insults, distortions. Frightening. And distracting.

My swirling thoughts threatened a ministry deadline. I begged, “Please God, clear my mind!” As quickly as I thought the words, I “thought” God’s answer, “Fill your mind with Me.”

Peace washed over me.

Of course! Capture the disturbing thoughts and replace them with God’s promises. Chuckling, I recognized the advice I dish out to members of my small group who battle negative thoughts. I’m tasting my own sweet medicine.

You can hear God’s voice too! He speaks to anyone who will listen.

God knows you and will communicate in a way you can hear.

God called Moses from a burning bush. He woke the sleeping Samuel three times. He whispered a question to Elijah.

I didn’t always know how to hear God’s voice. I am slow to connect the dots, so while I learned to recognize Him, God repeated the message. The first time I knew I’d ‘heard’ God’s guidance, He had patiently delivered the same directive half a dozen times.

First, a friend from my Florida hometown raved about an author. I cheered her enthusiasm, “Good for her!” Months later a Texas friend recommended an inspiring Bible study. I noted that they both suggested the same author and I added her name to my long to-read list.

I laugh remembering how God bonked me over the head time and time again. More than a year passed while God employed multiple unrelated sources across the country to tell  me: introduce a Beth Moore Bible study to your church.

I rejected God’s message as illogical.

Beth Moore’s passion for God was wildly outside our New England comfort zone. Her style broke our sensible mold. Introducing such enthusiasm was risky. My thought, “That will never fly!”

Funny… women still remark over that first impactful study. I’ve since learned to listen better and trust Him with action.

Hear, Israel, and be careful to obey so that it may go well with you…
Deuteronomy 6:3a

And then,

Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength.
Deuteronomy 6:4-5

Jews recite these words, called the Shema, in the morning and the evening in obedience to God who told them to talk about these laws “when you lie down and when you get up (Deuteronomy 6:7).” Shema is Hebrew for ‘hear’ which means to listen attentively in a way that causes obedience; to perceive, discern.

God invites us to hear His voice, to listen and follow.

Jesus affirmed the Shema as the most important command and expressed the desire to be heard in His own words:

Therefore, everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock.
Matthew 7:24

God will deliver His message, but the method might be unexpected.

• If you’re listening for a Morgan Freeman God-voice, you might miss the friend who offers encouragement.
• If you expect a flash of inspiration, you might not heed the fleeting thought to call a neighbor.
• A sermon might answer your question.
• A chance encounter in the bread aisle might provide the information you seek.

God uses friends, strangers, and chance encounters. Has a devotion or sermon ever directly applied to your situation? Has a news story or unplanned conversation provided critical information? Has a song or social quote confirmed a difficult choice?

Sometimes God speaks by giving us inner peace, a strong knowing. Other times He inspires a thought that’s not our own or affirms an idea with a tingle down the spine.

Conversation is two-way, talking and listening. Prayer is conversation.

How can I hear when I’m always talking? I’m challenged to quiet my mind long enough to listen.

• Closing my eyes eliminates visual distractions.
• Alternatively lighting a candle signals sacred time.
• Silencing notifications frees my mind to focus.
• Walking in nature highlights God’s magnificent attention to detail.

Caution: We must carefully check everything we think God says with the Bible because God will never contradict His own Word.

The one sure-fire way to hear God speak is through His Word.

So crack open your Bible. Join a study group in-person or online. Follow a daily devotional. Establish a habit of morning prayer and evening gratitude. Dig through the Seeds of Scripture archives.

Let’s share stories in the comments!
How do you stayed alert for God’s voice?
How have you heard from God? A God-incidence? An ah-ha moment?

Read a story about heeding an inner voice that seemed impulsive and another of responding to a cry for help. Read how Simeon, a Biblical character, heard God’s unlikely message but waited expectantly for it’s fulfillment

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