Does hearing God ever feel like pressure?
All of us desire to hear from God and be led by his Spirit. Learning to listen and sense Jesus’ presence with us is important to our relationship. Plus we often need his direction and help for significant life and ministry decisions.
But let’s be honest — learning to hear God’s voice is a journey and often takes time. It can come with questions and confusion.
I (Kristi) remember when I was younger and experienced lots of tension surrounding God’s communication. Bill and I were enjoying basketfuls of tortilla chips at a restaurant when he shared an extraordinary vision of Jesus he had seen.
I was drawn to his spiritual experience and desired to encounter Christ that way, too. But it also challenged me. Was Bill’s vision from God or his own imagination? How could I know for sure if a picture or word that popped into my mind was from him?
Many preachers and friends around me talked about hearing God speak frequently. They seemed so confident. But I’d get confused when they boldly proclaimed, “God says…” but I didn’t think it sounded like something the Lord would say.
To make matters worse, sometimes people would act based on God’s leading and then it wouldn’t work out. This disappointment leads many to give up hearing the Lord and believe he’s no longer speaking today.
But the Bible itself tells us we can hear the Good Shepherd’s voice personally (John 10:3-5). The Holy Spirit helps us discern what he’s doing so we can follow him in close relationship (Galatians 5:25).
But how do we cultivate this type of conversational relationship with Jesus? It can feel especially challenging when you carry the burden of hearing God on behalf of others — seeking vision for your ministry, determining direction for your mission, or encouraging someone through the power of the Spirit.
Below are some helpful (and biblical) ways Bill and I have discovered to navigate hearing God’s voice.
The 3 Lights: A GPS Navigation System
I (Bill) learned wisdom about hearing God from my mentor Dallas Willard’s book, Hearing God: Developing a Conversational Relationship with God. It’s certainly true that a growing relationship is the foundation of knowing and understanding the voice of your Father.
As you develop this kind of relationship, you’ll realize there are three ways (or lights) Abba uses to speak to us. Together, these three lights form a navigation system like a GPS — helping guide you through unknown territory in life, relationships, or ministry.
When all three lights turn green, it’s a good sign that God might be leading you. Of course, we always want to stay in step with the Spirit and be open to his teaching, correction, and redirection along the way (Galatians 5:25, John 16:13).
It’s truly a comfort to know our Advocate goes to great lengths to teach us and lead us like a personal G-P-S (John 14:26).
Light #1: God’s Word
Above everything else we need the Bible to guide us. God’s Word is powerfully authoritative and fully inspired by him (2 Timothy 3:16-17).
God uses the Bible to speak to us about himself and our apprenticeship to Jesus. It’s also the anchoring foundation we always return to when trying to discern his voice — everything he says to us personally is consistent with what he says in his Word.
This is why it’s helpful to study and memorize Scripture. As you go through daily life and decisions, you can recall verses to help you meditate and pray. God can bring his right words to your mind and heart when needed.
Light #2: Providence
Another way Abba speaks to us is through providence — his divine guidance and protective care. This is why people often pray for God to “open the doors that need to be opened and close the ones that need to be shut.”
God is the sovereign Lord and uses the circumstances in your life to direct you (Proverbs 16:9). This is why you can pray then rest and trust God while paying attention to his involvement in the opportunities and events that unfold around you.
God’s providence includes everything in life — even the bad things he didn’t want for you due to living in a fallen world and freedom of choice. You can trust that he’s in the brokenness and working all things together for the ultimate good of those who love and trust him (Romans 8:28).
Oswald Chambers gave helpful insight into God’s activity in life through providence:
God seldom speaks to us in startling ways, but in ways that are easy to misunderstand, and we say, “I wonder if that is God’s voice?” Isaiah said that the Lord spake to him “with a strong hand,” that is, by the pressure of circumstances. Nothing touches our lives but it is God Himself speaking. Do we discern His hand or only mere occurrence?
Get into the habit of saying, “Speak, Lord,” and life will become a romance. Every time circumstances press, say, “Speak Lord”: make time to listen… As we listen, our ear gets acute, and, like Jesus, we shall hear God all the time (My Utmost for His Highest, January 30th).
You can trust God is leading in everything and start a conversation with him about anything!
Light #3: Spirit Impressions (Reflections from God)
The third component to our GPS navigation system is Spirit impressions. Both God’s Word and Providence are physical— although we need the Spirit to help us understand them. Impressions are spiritual and come from the Holy Spirit who is invisible yet authentically real — living, breathing, and speaking inside of us.
You won’t usually see or hear the Spirit with your physical eyes and ears but rather perceive him through spiritual senses with God’s help (1 Corinthians 2:14). Jesus suggested that by him leaving the physical world you could cultivate deeper intimacy with his Spirit through a conversational relationship (John 16:7-15).
Impressions from the Holy Spirit are usually thoughts, feelings, images, or intuitions deposited into your mind and heart. The “still, small voice” that Elijah heard is the normal way God communicates with his people. This is reassuring and helps all of us to avoid only looking for God in miraculous events or extraordinary mystical experiences (1 Kings 19:11-12).
So, how do you know the difference between an impression from the Lord and a fleeting, personal thought?
Some helpful “qualities” about genuine messages from God are they often surprise you, offer a world of meaning, bring clarity, stick in your memory, and produce a spark of faith inside you.
All of us learn to better attune to God’s presence and voice as we grow in apprenticeship to Jesus. This takes time, like any relationship. But Paul assures us we can learn to place our confidence in the Spirit as our inner teacher (1 John 2:27).
Practice to Hear God’s Voice
Of course, nobody hears from God every second of every day. He is not a micromanager who controls every detail and decision in your life and ministry.
The greatest blessing of hearing God is coming to know God, for God — not for just directions or right answers.
But there are simple ways (like practicing Lectio Divina or Ignatian Meditation) to practice tuning into Abba’s frequency. Then, as you go about your day, you will notice Jesus with you as he guides you, warms your heart, and blesses others through you. Plus, you will become more confident in his vision for your ministry as a missionary.
Do you need help discerning God’s voice in your life and ministry? Our staff of spiritual directors and coaches are trained to help you discern God’s movement in your life (spiritual direction) or ministry (coaching) as they listen to you with empathy and support you in the Spirit of Jesus. We also teach and practice hearing God’s voice together at our Soul Shepherding Institute retreats — we’d love to journey with you!
Our ebook Hearing God’s Voice also includes in-depth teaching on 8 specific methods to help you receive and respond to God’s voice in new ways.
