I want to do God’s will and I long to hear His voice. I know that even though my days are very busy, God wants to speak to me; but am I hearing God's voice? Do I even know how to hear God's voice?
How to hear God's voice
How is my relationship with God? Do I really want to please Him with my thoughts, words and deeds? If that is what I truly long for, then He opens my ear to His voice. I have never heard God’s voice in the way I hear people speaking around me, but I know that God speaks to me every day. So how should I actually be hearing God?
A story about the prophet Elijah is a good way to show how God speaks to me in my heart. When the word of the Lord came to Elijah and told him to stand on the mountain before the Lord, God was not in the powerful wind that tore mountains apart and broke rocks in pieces. He also wasn’t in the earthquake or the fire. After the fire, Elijah heard God’s “still small voice”. (1 Kings 19:11-12.)
Quick to obey
So how can I hear this “still, small voice” speaking to me?
I hear it, for example, when I am in a difficult situation and a Bible verse comes to my mind and helps me. Then I am hearing God's voice!
God also reminds me to do the good, but at the same time He shows me the sin that comes up from my human nature. Maybe I’m tempted to become irritated with people, as I am trying to bless them. If my ear is open, God maybe shows me that the real source of the problem is my own selfish demands that the others should behave differently. I can say No to these demands so that I can change!
When I am quick to obey God’s voice when I "hear" Him, then He continues to speak to me. It is not always easy to be obedient to what I hear. Usually, it goes against my own will; I must give up my own desires and opinions in order to do what the still, small voice is telling me to do. When I listen and obey, then my personal connection with God grows stronger and deeper!
Hearing God isn't a loud voice speaking to me. God's voice is the inner reminder to do the good, and it becomes easier and easier for me to hear when I am faithful to obey it.
Why doesn't God just speak from the clouds or something?
A life full of peace and joy
In James 4:8 it is written that if I come near to God, He will come near to me. I’ve experienced that when I read the Bible and pray, God sends me help to live according to His will. He speaks to me clearly during the day. He doesn’t just show me how I can do things better outwardly; He also shows me the sin in my human nature, which makes life difficult for myself and for those around me. When I pray to Him in need over my sin, He gives me opportunities to overcome it, and strength to do so!
To come near to God, I need to be open and ready to be obedient to His will. I need to be close to Him in order to hear. If I don’t from the heart want to do God’s commandments, I will keep myself at a distance. “He who has an ear to hear, let him hear.” This exhortation is written many times in the book of Revelation. If I hear, I get nourishment for my spirit from God, and in that way I can also be of help to the others around me. This is really a life that is pleasing for God.
Listening to God’s voice, and then being obedient to Him has made me extremely happy! God wants to set me free from my sinful nature. When I listen and obey His voice in the midst of all my daily activities, God bit by bit makes me free from my sinful nature - this is the process of sanctification. This is a life full of peace and joy!