The theme of CFM's recent Wednesday Discipleship Class has been hearing the whisper of God. Hearing the voice or whisper of God is a common theme now throughout the Body of Christ. The Holy Spirit is speaking to His people about learning to hear the still quiet voice of God. In view of this we thought we would offer a couple of practical hints that will assist you in hearing the voice of God.
Stop talking
- Job 6:24 "Teach me, and I will be quiet; show me where I have been wrong.
It is hard to hear someone when you are talking – it is amazing how much better we hear when we are not talking. When we stop talking we can start listening. We need to learn to be active listeners - especially when God is trying to whisper to us. Let's make sure we understand - there is absolutely a time to speak to God, to tell Him how we feel, what we need, the desires of our hearts, and how thankful we are for Him. That being said - there is absolutely a time for us to stop talking and start listening. That is what takes place in any healthy relationship. In the scripture referenced above - Job cries out to God for God to teach (speak) to him promising that he will be quiet so he can hear and learn.
Eliminate, reduce, or tune out background noise
- Psalm 23:1-2 A psalm of David. The LORD is my shepherd, I lack nothing. He makes me lie down in green pastures, he leads me beside quiet waters,
Have you ever been beside a raging river or a large waterfall. The sound of the rushing water can be so loud. It almost makes it impossible to hear. In Psalm 23 the Lord, our Good Shepherd, tells us He will lead us beside quiet or still waters. In other words, where we will be able to hear His whisper. In todays high tech world - cell phones, ipads, laptops, ipods, TV's, and every other electronic invention - there is often so much background noise in our lives that it becomes difficult to hear a whisper. To hear God's whisper we must reduce or eliminate that background noise when we can. Sometimes, because of our location, what we are doing, or circumstances beyond our control - we cannot control that background noise. In those times we must learn to tune them out - to focus our attention only on hearing God's whisper.
Move closer to the Whisperer
- John 10:27 My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me
Two things to mention about moving closer. First, it's what we do when we whisper. Remember when you were young and were going to share a secret with your friend. You would say come closer and they would put their hear close to you to hear. God has something He wants to say to each one of us and while there are many things that He speaks to us all - there are unique things He has to say only to you and to me. Thus there is a need for us to move close to Him to hear. Secondly, as we move closer and reduce the space between the whisperer and the listener it makes it easier to hear clearly. The more time we spend close to the whisper of God – the more intimate the relationship becomes. We begin to know and anticipate the heart of God. The closer we move to the voice of Jesus, the more familiar we are with His voice. Jesus said it in the scripture referenced above - His sheep know him and they listen to His voice, and they follow Him. May all glory and praise be to our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Amen.
