Hearing God’s Voice

Hearing God’s Voice — Adam’s Angle

When you finish up school and get to your twenties, you might ask yourself, “Now what do I do with my life?” If you’re a believer and want to follow God, you might phrase the question differently: “How can I know God’s will for my life?”

It’s a question worth asking, whether you’re 21 or 71. Here’s the answer I e-mailed to one of the young adults in our church who asked me this question recently.

A Word From God

Much of God’s will for our lives is already revealed to us in His Word. We know from Scripture that it is His will that we become holy, that we love others, that we flee from sexual immorality and so on. There’s a lot that is already clear in the Bible. My suggestion to you is, first, master His Word. Dig deep into your Bible studies. Pray that the Holy Spirit would give you understanding.

As you know God’s Word better, you will understand Him and His character better. The pieces of the puzzle will start coming together, but we need to invest time in understanding His Word. Start there.

Just Do It!

Next, put what you do understand into practice. Look at Romans 12:1-2: “Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God—this is your spiritual act of worship. Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.”

We offer ourselves, our lives, and our actions to God. We apply His Word to our real-life situations so we change. The end result is in verse two: to test and approve what God’s will is. In other words, when we become more like Him, we’ll be able to see things from His perspective.

It Takes Time

Accurately hearing God’s leading is something that comes with discernment and practice over time. Here is a Scripture to think on:

“In fact, though by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you the elementary truths of God’s word all over again. You need milk, not solid food! Anyone who lives on milk, being still an infant, is not acquainted with the teaching about righteousness. But solid food is for the mature, who by constant use have trained themselves to distinguish good from evil.” (Hebrews 5:12-14)

The context of this passage is that the writer (possibly the apostle Paul or perhaps some other church leader) was rebuking certain believers for not progressing beyond the basics of the faith. The key to this passage is verse 14. The idea here is that as these believers constantly used and applied the “basics” (God’s Word) they would gradually get trained in discernment: telling good from evil. The same is true for us, as we use and apply the basics of our faith, we grow in discernment. Then we’ll know when to say yes and when to say no to things that come our way.

Take a Chance

Consider Ecclesiastes 11:1-6: “Cast your bread upon the waters, for after many days you will find it again. Give portions to seven, yes to eight, for you do not know what disaster may come upon the land. If clouds are full of water, they pour rain upon the earth. Whether a tree falls to the south or to the north, in the place where it falls, there will it lie. Whoever watches the wind will not plant; whoever looks at the clouds will not reap. As you do not know the path of the wind, or how the body is formed in a mother’s womb, so you cannot understand the work of God, the Maker of all things. Sow your seed in the morning, and at evening let not your hands be idle, for you do not know which will succeed, whether this or that, or whether both will do equally well.”

This passage talks about taking a chance. Sometimes we want to hear God’s voice so much that we freeze ourselves: “God, do you want me to call so-and-so? God do you want me to go to the summer retreat? God, do you want me to eat a peanut butter sandwich? God, do you want me to inhale?” (and this last question is usually followed very quickly by, “Lord, do you want me to exhale?).

My point is God doesn’t give us neon signs in the sky for every little thing in our lives. He’s given us His Word; He’s given us responsibility, too. He wants us to make choices. Sometimes that involves taking a risk, even if you don’t have a “direct” word from God.

For example, do you want to do missions? Great! You have good grounds to pursue it: God desires his gospel to go out to the farthest corners of the earth. Unless God tells you otherwise — as you prayerfully proceed forward, or He drops circumstances in your lap that prevent you from going — start pursuing it. Research on the Internet some groups that do mission trips to Asia (or wherever). Try going on a short-term mission trip to see if that is a fit for God’s call on your life. Wisely, and in a godly way, take chances.

Don’t just sit on your rear waiting for God to give you a clear sign that you should get out of your chair.

— Adam Pivec
4/19/09