Hearing from God

The image that I chose for this post may seem odd, but it’ll make sense shortly. One of the most exciting and amazing things about God is that He communicates with us. This can be an awkward conversation when trying to explain it to anyone who may not truly understand what a relationship with God looks like. I can admit that it does sound a bit strange when someone starts a sentence with the words, “God told me.” Even when I say it, in my mind I think “They are going to think I am so weird.”

Occasionally someone will ask, “How do you know when you are hearing from God, and how do you know it is not your agenda?” The answer is simple. If you are old enough, think back to the days when we didn’t have Caller ID. You did not know who was calling when you answered the phone until you heard their voice. If it was someone you knew well, you recognized their voice immediately without having to ask who was calling. The more time you spend with God, the more you will know His voice and the methods He may use to communicate with you. With that being said, there will still be times when you will question whether it was really God.

There are several ways in which God speaks to us, and everyone can hear from Him. Most often it may be described as a still, small voice, but He speaks through His Word, the Holy Spirit, dreams, visions, people, peace, and more.

Although we are spiritual beings, we are navigating an exceedingly difficult human experience. As a result, our default setting is to gravitate toward what we can actually see or hear. That can make it more difficult to hear from God. The spiritual realm can be hard to process. It does seem unreal when you think about it from a human perspective.

It is critical to understand that the devil will also speak to us. The devil knows God’s Word and will use it to try and trick us. Many times he succeeds, but it does not have to be that way. The only way the devil can truly attack is through our minds. He may use our fears, insecurities, or even well-meaning people to do so. The more time we spend with God, the easier it is to recognize this, and the faster we can catch it and shut it down. The devil is known as the father of lies for good reason. (I could write a whole post about the human fathers of lies out here in this world…but I digress.) James 4:7 KJV says “Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.”

Lately, God has been speaking to me more often through His Word. When I go to bed each evening, I let the Bible app play on my phone all night. I may wake up at an odd time like 3:52 am and hear an answer to something that I have asked, instructions for something that I need to do, or a message that I need to share with someone else. One time I went to bed thinking about a name that was mentioned in the Bible, but I didn’t know where to find it. I thought to myself that I would Google it the next day, and I proceeded to go to sleep. I was awakened in the middle of the night. As I listened to the narrator’s voice, I heard the name that I had planned to search for the next day. I was amazed! When I realized what was happening, I picked up my phone, took a screenshot so I could know where to find the name, put my phone back on the nightstand, and went right back to sleep. I woke up feeling well-rested as if I had not awakened in the middle of the night.

I regularly hear from God while I am in the shower. Most times it really is that still, small voice that many people describe. A recent experience brought me to tears though and I am happy that I can share it with you.

At any given time in our journey through life, we are waiting for something. I have been talking with God about some really big things for quite a while. I felt like I had been waiting for a very long time for Him to answer. In waiting, there have been lots of tears. I was taking a shower one morning. I decided to shampoo my hair and after I rinsed out the shampoo, I looked at the shower wall and saw the strand of my hair that you see in the picture. You may not be able to see what I saw in it. If so, I understand. The message was only for me at that moment.

The part of the strand at the top with the big drop of water in the middle represents me and the tears that I have cried. That circle is connected to what looks like a heart at the bottom. At the top left of the heart, you see that part of the strand of hair looks like the shape of a teardrop. The heart represents God’s heart. I always have music playing while I am in the shower as well. The moment that I glanced over and saw the strand of hair, I was hearing the song “Known” by Tauren Wells.

It takes time to explain, but my understanding of this happened in a split second. The message that I received is that God has seen every one of my tears and has taken them into His heart and given me His peace. He reminded me that I am known, loved, and that I can trust Him despite what things look like. God has never failed me. Every promise He has made for my life will be fulfilled.

While this is extremely personal, I felt like I needed to share it to get across the point that the more you seek God through reading, talking, listening, and obedience, you will find that He will speak to you in some of the most amazing yet subtle ways. You will recognize it and you will feel a peace that truly surpasses understanding. There is no better feeling than when God shows you that even with billions of people on the planet, He sees, hears, and loves you.

1 Corinthians 14:33 KJV says “For God is not the author of confusion, but of peace, as in all churches of the saints.” Because our lives involve other people, one of the most amazing things about the way that God communicates is the way that He will communicate the same message to different people. One of the best examples that I have seen of this is when I’ve heard godly men speaking about their marriages. Some men say that one of the primary ways God speaks to them is through their wives. The beauty of this is that while it may come through the woman, God will give the same message as confirmation to the man, keeping them on one accord as he leads.

The same goes for all types of relationships, and even messages from strangers. I have had people share something that God put on their hearts to share with me. After hearing the message, if God gives me peace, I can fully receive the message. If someone gives me a message and I don’t feel peace, I go to God and ask Him what I am to do with the message. He may have to work out something in my heart to receive what was said.

At times, He tells me to disregard the message. There are situations when people may communicate things and insert their thoughts and opinions. It is not always a malicious act, and usually, it does come from a place of love and concern. That love and concern may also be rooted in fear and lack of faith. As I mentioned before, the enemy will try and use well-meaning people and those closest to us to cause confusion and make us doubt God. This is why it is important to be in full relationship and communication with God for yourself. He will always give you confirmation and peace when the message is from Him. Messages from others should not be used to try and control or manipulate. Always know that no one is any closer to God than you are or can be.

I have learned that when God gives me a message for someone, to type it up right away using the notepad on my phone so that I can give the message to the person exactly as I received it. I may have an opinion, but God intends for me to deliver the message in the exact way that He gave it to me. I am like FedEx or UPS on a good day. I deliver the message in perfect condition. Most times. I am human. I also make sure the person understands that they should go to God to discuss it further. They have no obligation to discuss it with me, and they absolutely should not only take my word for it. Again, God will always give us confirmation that will bring peace.

If you have not already done so or feel like you do not hear from God, I would encourage you to learn more about the ways that God speaks to us. There are several resources available. One book that I found helpful and have read multiple times is “You Can Hear the Voice of God” by Steve Sampson. Hearing from God is such a beautiful experience. Spend time talking with Him and feel free to ask questions. He hears you and will answer.

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