Can You Hear Me Now?

Can You Hear Me Now?
5 Ways to Help You Hear God’s Voice

One of my biggest pet peeves is poor cell reception. My mind has a hard time conceiving that all the technology that exists that there can still be dead spots for cell reception. I know. I sound spoiled, and should be grateful for the ability to connect to people across the globe.

It’s true. Having the ability to connect around the world is nothing short of a miracle. But now that I have it – I just want it to work. Sometimes however, it just doesn’t. My neighborhood is notorious for bad cell reception.

I can’t tell you how many times I have been talking and talking on the phone, only to realize the call dropped five minutes prior and I have been rambling to myself!

It struck me that this poor cell reception happens in relationships – with people who are in the same room, living in the same home with us. We can be talking and talking – and then realize the connection dropped with the other person minutes ago.

They have no idea what we said. They lost interest. They moved on to something else. They checked out. Or they are preparing their retort instead of being an active listener.

I am describing this scenario as a problem with “they” or “them”. The reality in my home is – I am often the one who drops the connection during a conversation if I am not very intentional about saying engaged.

There have been countless times I have been in the same room with someone while they are speaking to me – but I don’t tune into what they are saying. I get glazed over in the conversation -filling the room with my internal thoughts.

I hear their voice, recognize the words, but don’t give it thought and attention.

As I ponder this, I wonder how often this is my response to God’s voice. I hear him speaking, but don’t engage my attention to focus on what He’s speaking to me.

I admit there have been times when I have through the reception between me and God seemed crackled. It cut in and out like the poor cell service in my neighborhood. “Can you hear me now, God?”

Of course, He can hear me. It’s more likely I can’t hear Him, and struggle with crackling reception because I haven’t taken the necessary steps to get to a quiet place, sit still, where I know the reception is quality.

One thing is for sure, God’s voice is what brings peace to the storm. With a word He can calm the storms that rage on the sea. Mark 4:39 says, “And he awoke and rebuked the wind and said to the sea, “Peace! Be still!” And the wind ceased, and there was a great calm.”

If he can calm the storms of the sea, he can bring peace to the storms of our lives. But just like the storm on the sea – we have to listen to his voice. Sometimes, we are the ones who need to be calmed and silenced. I was. I often am.

I believe God is speaking to us, to our hearts a lot of the time – but we aren’t listening. We are trying to hear his voice in the harriedness of life. Giving the list of to-do’s priority over the to-be’s.

I believe he wants to bring peace to our lives, but we are busy: busy talking, doing and striving instead of just being. Hearing His voice starts with being.

Over the last year a constant prayer of my heart has been, “God I want to hear your voice.” Do you know what has changed most in my life as a result of this prayer?

My behavior has changed.

I want to share this with you because I pray the same over you and your walk with God. That you begin to hear God’s voice more and more in your life and you grow closer to Him.

So what changed for me? Let me show you!

1. My interest changed. I became concerned about what God had to say about more and more in my life. I wanted to know His thoughts.
2. My doing slowed. I stopped trying to “perform” for God, and just started “being” with God.
3. My talking lessened. I say less words these days which creates space for God to speak. I trust He knows my thoughts and what’s going on in my heart.
4. My expectancy grew. As I became interested, still and quiet my expectation to hear God’s voice blossomed.
5. My hunger for the word increased. God has grown my heart for more of His word. The more I read and meditate on His word the more familiar I become with His voice.

You can see that hearing God’s voice is not a mysterious and unreachable pursuit. It is a pursuit we can all participate in. I am just an ordinary girl in pursuit of a relationship with a magnificent God. The only thing extraordinary about is that the Almighty God desires a relationship with me, with us.

If God will speak to me, he can and will speak to your heart also. It’s for anyone who chooses to seek, follow and pursue after God. Jeremiah 29:13 says, “You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart.”

My prayer for us, his people is from Psalm 85:8 which we discussed recently on Cup of Hope.

“I listen carefully to what God the Lord is saying,
for he speaks peace to his faithful people.
But let them not return to their foolish ways.”

I pray that God would help keep our hearts drawn toward Him with the desire to seek him above all else, to pursue him above all else and to listen for His voice above all others.

We are prone to wander, prone to go our own way, prone to think we know best for ourselves and for others. Yet God in his gentle patience waits for us to return. As he speaks, we don’t want to miss a single word he has for us.

Father, protect us from returning to our folly, from returning to putting our hope and confidence in things and people that are not worthy of our attention and devotion. Help us Lord to desire to hear your voice above the noise of this life. Grow in us the desire to be still and be quiet before you to create space in our homes and hearts for you – clearing out whatever is keeping us from hearing you. Father, grow our heart to expect to hear you – knowing with everything in us that you are speaking to us. Produce in us Lord a desire for more of your word and teach us to discern your voice from all others.

Can you picture God sitting right next to you saying, “Can you hear me now?” Like the reception between you is crackling, cutting in and out.

Can you? Can you hear Him talking to your heart? He is right there, ready to speak. Are you willing to be still, to come expecting to hear from him? Maybe today is the day you stop the doing and settle into being before Him. Wait on Him, He will speak.