Supposing that God speaks, how can we hear God’s voice?

Can we audibly hear his voice? Can you or I see him?
I don’t know about you… but I can’t.

You might suggest that we can hear God’s voice if we read the Bible. 

Okay. I think that idea holds water… 

If the Bible is assumed to be God’s Word then it wouldn’t be far-stretched to say that by reading God’s word we are able to hear God’s word. But anyone can read the Bible. Just because you read God’s Word doesn’t mean you hear God speaking to you. Depending on the reader, it can just be a bunch of ink on paper, or, at the very least, might be interpreted as some pretty good moral teachings with a few hard to understand rules and/or traditions.

So maybe I’ll re-ask the question this way then:

Supposing that God speaks, how can one personally hear God’s voice for themselves? 

I think I found some insight. The answer may or may not surprise you.

But first, have you ever thought about how elephants hear? 

One of the first things you’ll notice about them is that they have these enormous ears. These ears allow them to pick up what are called “infrasound” waves – low frequencies that humans can’t hear. This allows them to physically hear when rain clouds are gathering so they know when to head for water sources¹.

But did you know elephants can also hear through their feet?!

That’s right!

When elephants pound their feet against the ground, elephants set up powerful but hardly audible vibrations. Through nerve endings in their feet and ear bones, these sounds can be picked up miles away by other elephants, like a kind of bush telephone¹ (those phones you make with two cups and a string).  

Why do I bring this up?

Well, like elephants, we too have the ability to hear not only with our ears.

We also have the ability to hear through our hearts. 
We have the ability to hear God through our hearts. 

Like elephants who have the uncanny ability to communicate through the ground, our hearts are the grounds through which God personally communicates with us.

But if you’re left wondering why it might be so hard to personally hear God it’s because our hearts are under attack!

More than ever, there is a war being waged and our hearts are the battlegrounds.

Fear. Discouragement. Hopelessness. Worry. Anxiety. Tragedy. Lies. Lust. Bitterness. Deceit. Folly. Gossip. Jealousy. Revenge.

This list is by no means exhaustive but these are the weapons. 

If we’re not careful, there are plenty of fiery arrows that would love to continue piercing our hearts (Ephesians 6:16).

But you don’t need me to tell you that we are living in perilous times. Just turn on social media for a few minutes and your heart can be pierced almost instantly. Multiple stab wounds. Mine too.

This is why it is so important we guard our hearts. 

“Above all else, guard your heart, for everything you do flows from it.” (Proverbs 4:23)

But I don’t want you thinking that the solution then is to make our hearts callous. The process is not about cauterising our hearts to the point that we don’t feel anything and nothing can pierce it. But we do need to guard it.

What does that even look like then? How does one guard one’s own heart? 

Prayer. 

“Be anxious for nothing, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” (Philippians 4:6-7)

As we offer up prayers and requests to God, of all sorts, with thanksgiving, our hearts and minds will be guarded with the peace of God in Christ Jesus.

I don’t think this process is easy but it’s definitely a blueprint that anyone can access.

I do believe that as we guard our hearts with God’s peace through prayer, we are actively fortifying it from anything that aims to attack it. 

Once our hearts are well protected with God’s peace, I think we have a much better ability to hear how God might be speaking to us.

I think it is from a guarded heart that we then are effectively able to hear God’s voice and respond to the world around us. 

Instead of falling victim to despair, we can respond in hope;
Instead of caving to fear, we can stand in faith;
Instead of running away from our problems, we can courageously face them!

The heart’s the battleground.

Like an elephant, you herd it here first. 

¹https://www.hear.com/useful-knowledge/animal-hearing-abilities/