You do not have to go far to find countless books written on the topic of “hearing God’s voice” or “discerning the will of God.” It’s overwhelming because many well known “Christian” teachers don’t even align with each other. Surely, it can’t be this difficult and confusing to figure out what God is saying. Are you overcome with anxiety wondering what step God wants you to take next? Perhaps you are facing some major decisions right now.
“Should I go to this college or that one?”
“Should I marry this man? Should I get a divorce?”
“Which job do you want me to take?”
“How many kids do you want me to have?”
The list goes on and on. We have to make multiple decisions everyday. As a Christian, how are we to make these decisions?
When I was a fairly new Christian, I was incredibly passionate about seeking God but I had no idea how to do so. I spent so much time in prayer and in the Word, but I did so foolishly. Looking back, I can see that my “Christianity” was really nothing but spirituality and modern-day Gnosticism with Christian lingo attached to it. Let me explain.
I would often pray, ask God a question, and then sit very, very still. Whatever voices I heard in my head, I attributed to God. Or, I would open my Bible, look down, and try to apply the first thing I read to whatever circumstances were going on in my life. If I read a particular verse in the morning while praying about whether to attend a specific college and later saw that same Bible verse pop up somewhere else, I absolutely rejoiced that God had spoken to me so clearly. My walk with the Lord was truly no walk at all. It was nothing more than looking for open doors, inner peace, spiritual hunches, still small voices, and lots of signs in my everyday circumstances. If just one person told me to do something that I had been praying about, I marveled as if God had spoken to me Himself. I’m actually too embarrassed to tell you some of the conclusions I came to about “God’s will” for my life by doing this, so I’ll refrain. Let’s just say it was an absolute train wreck.
Not only were my conclusions bizarre, but I was constantly living in a state of anxiety, wondering what God wanted me to do about major decisions and even minor ones. I would ask God if He wanted me to eat lunch at this place or that place, assuming that everything was a divine appointment heavily dependent on my ability to discern it. I was so fearful that I wouldn’t understand what God wanted, make a wrong turn, and completely mess up His will for my life. What a prison I was in.
O but God is so gracious. He has since taught me how to accurately read His word. The first step was getting my eyes off of myself. Scripture wasn’t going to tell me the specific name of the person I was going to marry. It isn’t going to tell me the best state to live in. It’s primary subject is not me. It’s not you, either. The Bible’s entire theme revolves around the person and work of Jesus Christ. God certainly does give us wisdom for life’s decisions, but it’s found IN HIM, not reading His word like a set of tarot cards.
You want to know what God desires for your life? Then seek the person, Jesus Christ. Pray and study the word of God. God no longer speaks to us in those various ways like He did the apostles and prophets. Why? Because we have the completed canon of Scripture.
It might be helpful to back up and answer some of your objections. Let’s look at John 10:27, “My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow Me.”
It says right here that God’s children will hear His voice. Does that mean we will hear an audible voice? A voice in our head? A voice from a donkey? How about from a burning bush? Absolutely not. As is the case with all Scripture, you MUST read it in the context it was written. In this chapter and the previous one, Jesus is speaking to the Pharisees and condemning their religiosity. He is condemning them for their unbelief. He is saying that His true sheep, or His children are those who believe that Christ is the Son of God. They are the ones that God redeems and calls His own. This passage has absolutely nothing to do with hearing literal voices. It is speaking about God’s sovereign election and eternal security of His precious children.
Another popular reference is 1 Kings 19:12 when Elijah heard a “still, small voice.” As is always the case, you need to consider the entire context when reading any passage. Notice that Elijah didn’t have any trouble at all discerning that it was God speaking. He was confident it was the Lord. He heard an actual, literal voice. He wasn’t hearing voices in His head, or attributing advice given by others to the voice of the Lord. This passage wasn’t written as a guide for learning to hear the voice of God. It is a narrative, recording how God spoke to Elijah. He didn’t always whisper. Remember Saul on the way to Damascus? Definitely not a whisper.
My point is this. God DID speak in many ways prior to the completed canon of Scripture. God, who at various times and in various ways spoke in times past to the fathers by the prophets, has in these last days spoken to us by HIS SON. Hebrews 1:1
He spoke through visions, dreams, a burning bush, a donkey, etc. Absolutely none of the recipients had any doubt WHO was speaking to them. However, God does not speak to us this way today.
His divine power has given us all things that pertain to life and godliness through the knowledge of Him who called us by glory and virtue… 2 Peter 1:3
All Scripture is inspired by God and is profitable for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work. 2 Timothy 3:16-17
Scripture is sufficient for you, but you must read it accurately. Understand the history and circumstances of the writers when each book was written. What were they saying and who was the original audience? Read everything in context and then apply the biblical principles to your life.
A good place to start might be:
- Are either of these options sinful?
- Will either option put me in close proximity to sin or cause too great of a temptation? (Proverbs 6:28; 2 Timothy 2:22).
- If not, then which option will help me to fulfill the greatest commandments to love God and my neighbor? (This one might throw many of your plans out the window as our natural inclinations are to choose the option that is best for US. “I just really need to do this for myself.”)
- Will any of these options hinder my sanctification?
- Where can I serve the most? Or which option will use my God- given gifts?
- Am I drawn to a particular option because of the glory I will receive?
- If you still have no idea what to do, seek counsel from those who are older and wiser than you…people who will use biblical principles to help you reach a decision. (Proverbs 11:14).
These are just a few questions I ask myself when I need to make a decision. Friends, God is eager and willing to give us wisdom (James 1:5). Notice, I didn’t say He is eager to give us signs, nudges, whispers, or strange hunches. He’s eager to illuminate the Word of God in our lives. If you are asking God for direction, but never studying His word, you are not hearing from God at all.
Also, it’s very possible that you are making way too big a deal out of a decision that you have freedom in. For instance, maybe you have three really good options for college. Assuming, you aren’t violating any scriptural principles with any of them, just choose one! I can assure you that God is concerned more about your sanctification and pursuit of holiness than He is about each earthly decision you make. If God wanted us to know specifics of how to hear His voice, don’t you think that the apostles would have taught the churches how to do so? Don’t you think Jesus would have instructed us to sit quietly and listen for an inner voice if that’s what we needed to do? The fact is, He gave us everything we need in Him. His Word is sufficient. Rest in His sovereign, guiding care. He is the tender Shepherd. Seek Him and you will find.
**For more thorough teaching on hearing the voice of God, I highly recommend looking up Justin Peters and Jim Osman as they have taught extensively on this subject. You will be blessed.
