I recently finished a book by Mark Batterson entitled Whisper. Batterson is best known for authoring The Circle Maker, a fabulous book on prayer. Whisper, however, zeros in on the necessity of hearing the gentle voice of God. What good is prayer if we never bother to listen? What good is begging God to speak if we do not know how to hear His response? Whisper is well worth the read. This article is not a regurgitation of that book. Instead, the book caused me to consider how often we long to hear the seemingly silent voice of God. How many times have we desperately longed to know the will of God and coveted the voice of God?
The reality is that God rarely refuses to respond. We are simply incapable of hearing His voice. What if you could hear the voice of God right now? Would you be willing to remove the distractions and the competing voices? What if God is whispering the answer to your prayer right now, but you just don’t know how to listen properly? I believe, in most instances, this is indeed the case. Scripture teaches us that even the heavens declare the glory of God (Psalm 19:1-6). There are over ten references to God speaking in Genesis chapter 1 alone. God literally spoke the world into existence, and He is not mysteriously silent today. With that in mind, below are six reasons we often can’t hear what God is saying to us.
1. We mistake the voice of God for someone or something else (1 Samuel 3:1-11).
When young Samuel heard the voice of God in the middle of the night, he assumed it was Eli, the priest calling. But God spoke to Samuel three times before Eli realized God was trying to talk to Samuel. Thankfully, because Samuel submitted to a man of God, he received instructions to hear God’s voice. Sadly, many people never learn to hear God because they’re not submitted.
2. We run from the flames rather than towards them (Exodus 3:1-12).
When the Lord decided to speak to Moses, He sent a sign in the wilderness. God caused a bush to blaze with fire but not to be consumed. But it was not until Moses walked towards the flame that God spoke. Beyond that, God refused to speak again until Moses had removed his sandals in honor of holy ground.
Many today turn their back on the fires of the Holy Ghost and miss what God desires to speak into their lives. Others walk towards the flames but refuse to surrender themselves to purity and holiness.
3. We are too busy talking to hear the voice of God (Psalm 4:4, Proverbs 10:8).
Many Christians know the importance of talking to God but fail to listen to God. They petition, but they never position themselves to hear his response. They cry out to God, but they complain rather than calmly listen for His reply.
4. We are too busy listening to other voices (Mark 4:9).
Many pray and then run around seeking advice from the closest person they can find. They speak with confidants and friends, looking for a word from God. They trust that God will speak to someone else on their behalf, but not that He will speak to their heart. So they listen to everything and everyone but God.
In modern culture, we are surrounded by constant noises and inundated by media. Our headphones are on, and the volume is turned up to the max. We are addicted to our phones and glued to our devices. The news cycle is twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week. We listen and listen and listen to every voice and sound but ignore God. The Lord is not silent, but we are too loud.
5. We neglect His Word and the preaching of the Word (Luke 11:28, Psalm 119:11, Psalm 119:105).
God has already spoken unalterably through His Word. God chooses to speak according to His Word through the preaching of His Word. God interacts with us as we interact with the Bible. God speaks to us through the preaching of the Word. God speaks to us through righteous men. When we are submitted to the Word and the preached Word, we are positioned to hear God’s voice.
6. We don’t recognize God’s voice because we are a goat, not a sheep (John 10:27-28, John 8:47).
The Lord’s sheep hear His voice, and they follow him. God is constantly speaking to His people, but they can’t hear or recognize His voice because they have become goats. Only sheep can hearShephaShephard’svoice. Only repentance will allow them to hear Him once again.