Since I was talking on Sunday about Peter not discerning
God's plan very easily and this morning we taught the Primary School about
Samuel struggling to hear God's voice, it seems like perhaps it's a good time
to dish out some advice on how to listen to God!
It's one of those things preachers often seem to be
saying - 'Listen to God, anyone can hear from God'. And yet when it comes down
to it, lots of Christians feel like they struggle and very rarely hear God
speaking to them. So let's get practical. How to hear from God and be fairly
certain you're not just making it up...
1) Set aside some
time and find a quiet place with no distractions. A comfy chair and a cup
of coffee may assist with this! Jesus frequently took himself off to pray in
places where He could be quiet and alone.
2) Actually listen. It's okay to pray to God
without listing your requests/concerns. A simple "God, please speak to me
during this time I have set aside," will do. And wait patiently.
3) Give God
opportunity to speak to you through
something. Very often listening to God means picking up your bible and
having a little read. Or you could have a flick through a book of devotions, or some other Christian
literature, or watch/listen to a Christian speaker online, whatever means you like. Just pray that God will help you select the
right thing and speak to you through it.
(In general choose authors/speakers etc that come
recommended by mature Christians you trust).
4) Write it down.
If you feel you've heard something from God, it is very easy to back away from
it later and start to doubt yourself. Just because you've written it down,
doesn't mean you don't have to test out what you've heard, it just means you
won't be so inclined to brush it aside and forget it!
5) Test it out.
The bible tells us to 'weigh up' the things we hear, because it can be very
difficult to separate our own thoughts from Gods. Testing involves:
a) Praying about it repeatedly and asking to feel 'at peace' about it if you've heard correctly. If it still feels right over a long period of praying and considering, that's a good sign.
a) Praying about it repeatedly and asking to feel 'at peace' about it if you've heard correctly. If it still feels right over a long period of praying and considering, that's a good sign.
b) Checking it's
consistent with the bible. If what you think God is saying seems to
contradict the bible, you should have serious doubts about it.
c) Asking a mature
Christian to discuss it with you and pray it over too. If you're unsure,
getting a second (or third or fourth!) opinion from sensible, mature, loving
Christians can be really helpful.
d) Looking out for
other signs of confirmation. Did the preacher on Sunday bring up the same
point? Did you hear the very same issue discussed on the radio just the other
day? Were you reading a bible verse that said something similar yesterday?
These may not be coincidences...
If this all seems like a bit of an effort, just remember, it does get easier. You do start to get more accustomed
to hearing God's voice and separating it from your own. In fact, you'll
probably start to find it extremely exciting living with more and more of God's
guidance - I still find it exciting every time He speaks to me!
Give it a go, you may well be amazed at the results.
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