Have you ever desperately needed to hear from God? Have you ever gone to a prophetic service looking for answers? If you have, then you are in good company, for there was a prophet of God in scripture who was in a similar situation. He was a great man of God, with an intimate and powerful connection with the Almighty. On his request, God stopped the rain and then started it up again. At his entreaty, God sent fire down from the heavens. He had stood against hundreds for the name of His God, but a close encounter with one of the devil’s own had left him shaken, frightened and confused. He made a miraculous journey to the mountain of God, the place of God’s presence. There God spoke to him…
“So Elijah, what are you doing here?”
“I’ve been working my heart out for the God-of-the-Angel-Armies,” said Elijah. “The people of Israel have abandoned your covenant, destroyed the places of worship, and murdered your prophets. I’m the only one left, and now they’re trying to kill me.”
Then he was told, “Go, stand on the mountain at attention before God. God will pass by.” A hurricane wind ripped through the mountains and shattered the rocks before God, but God wasn’t to be found in the wind; after the wind an earthquake, but God wasn’t in the earthquake; and after the earthquake fire, but God wasn’t in the fire; and after the fire a gentle and quiet whisper.
When Elijah heard the quiet voice, he muffled his face with his great cloak, went to the mouth of the cave, and stood there. A quiet voice asked, “So Elijah, now tell me, what are you doing here?”
Elijah said it again, “I’ve been working my heart out for God, the God-of-the-Angel-Armies, because the people of Israel have abandoned your covenant, destroyed your places of worship, and murdered your prophets. I’m the only one left, and now they’re trying to kill me.”
God didn’t bother answering Elijah’s complaints. He just gave him his new assignment, and that assignment gave Elijah a new lease on life. God’s word will give you a new lease on life too. Please know that God longs to speak to you in the place of His presence. (Heb. 12:18-23)
Everyone can learn to recognize God’s voice. It is not something for just the spiritual elite. Recognizing God’s voice is the natural result of a familiar and loving relationship with Him. As you spend more and more quality time with the Lord, your spiritual ear will become increasingly more fine tuned. Just as a mother recognizes the cry of her own child because of familiarity rather than some mystical bond, so is our ability to hear and recognize God’s voice. Spending quality time with the Lord is the number one means by which you develop a hearing ear. There are a couple of other things that will help you to recognize God’s voice. One is…
· Stillness (Psalm 46:10; 1 Kings 19:12) “Be still, and know that I am God.” The word “know” here comes from the Hebrew word that means to know by observing and reflecting and experiencing. The Word commands us to be still and observe, reflect and experience God’s nearness. That can’t be done on the run. Still your heart and thoughts before you come into His presence. Don’t allow the frantic pace of life to carry over into your devotional times. The rush of life will cause static in your receiver, and you will not be able to discern the prompting of the Lord. Background noise is a problem for lots of us when it comes to hearing God’s voice. God does not always want to use gale force winds, earthquakes and fires to speak to us as Elijah learned. Quiet your heart and mind so that you can hear the still small voice of the Lord.
· The Word (Heb. 4:12-13) The Word of God is literally that…it is words from God. If we want to sharpen our hearing skills we need to cherish and mediate upon the Word of God. It will prepare us to hear His voice. What is meditation? It’s like worry, only positive. You sit and think about all of the wonderful possibilities and applications of the word to your life. When you spend much time in His written word, you begin to recognize the cadence of His spoken word, like being in the Philippines, helped me to understand the accent. Spending time with God’s written Word helps you to recognize and understand His spoken word. So does…
· Praying in the Spirit. (I Cor. 14:15) This will help our hearts to be tuned into the presence and voice of our Lord. It is an exercise that will help us to hear and recognize God’s voice. Again, it is like tuning in a radio dial.
· Expectation. (John 14:12-14) As a child jumps into his father’s arms with full expectation that he will be caught, so must we have that instinctual trust that our Heavenly Father wants to speak to our hearts, every day about every situation. Expect it and it will happen. But your faith needs an element of patience. Patience trust God’s methods AND his timing. Do not allow yourself to become frustrated by what may seem like a lack of progress because frustration acts like static and makes it more difficult to recognize His voice. Frustration does not limit God’s ability to speak, but it does limit our ability to hear Him.
