Learning To Hear The Voice Of God | Following Jesus Blog Series

One of the most important questions—and often the most common—is, "How do I hear God when He talks?" One of my favorite scriptures that give us a clue how to do this is found in 1 Samuel:

1 Samuel 3:1-4 The boy Samuel ministered before the Lord under Eli. In those days the word of the Lord was rare; there were not many visions. 2 One night Eli, whose eyes were becoming so weak that he could barely see, was lying down in his usual place. 3 The lamp of God had not yet gone out, and Samuel was lying down in the house of the Lord, where the ark of God was. 4 Then the Lord called Samuel. Samuel answered, “Here I am.”

You see in these few verses that Samuel positioned himself in a place where God could speak to him. Often we find ourselves like Eli in this story—distracted, busy, and away from God's presence. Can God shout over the noise of our lives? Yes, but he usually asks us to quiet our lives and lean in to hear his voice.I've found that the more time I spend talking and listening to God, the more I am able to discern if God is speaking to me or not. It's similar to how we have the ability to pick out the voice of our parent or child from a distance. Because we've spent enough time with them, we recognize their voice over the other voices. Take time to listen and write down what's stirring in your heart when you pray, read the Bible or worship—the more you do this you'll know what His voice sounds like and you'll be able to hear it more often.

John 10:27My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me.

Question: What are some ways you've learned to know and hear God speaking to you? Comment below.

To learn more about Hearing God's voice, grab a copy of my book, Following Jesus. You'll be able to read the full chapter on Prayer & Worship, and the other essentials to knowing and following Jesus.