How to Hear God

In Psalm 46, God tells us, ‘Be still and know that I am God’, ‘Cease striving, let go, relax, and know that I am God.’

When we’re still it’s easier to draw near to God and begin to hear Him speak in our hearts. To wait on God, we need to learn to be still.

It’s best to remove distractions by finding a place where we can be alone and undisturbed.

We need to quiet the voices and thoughts fighting for our attention.

If you have difficulty with this and your mind is really busy, try jotting down the thoughts that come so you can deal with them later.
If you become conscious of sin, confess it so it’s no longer in the way.
If your mind is busy, visualise Jesus there with you.

The key is to be so focused on Him that everything else fades into the background.

When we become still we begin to sense God’s presence. His promptings are gentle and if we’re not still, we miss them.

By becoming still, I mean not doing anything other than making it possible to be in touch with God and experience Him.

When we become still it’s easier to hear God. Spontaneous images begin to come and we begin to hear His voice in our heart as spontaneous thoughts.

When you enter the secret place, take the first few minutes to become still. When you’re still, you’ll begin to sense God. Then you’ll be able to communicate.

Once you’re still and you’ve quieted your thoughts, focus on the Lord. Visualise Him there with you and wait for Him to speak.

The more you practise becoming still, the easier it gets and the more quickly it all comes together.

God speaks in many ways and different people tend to hear God in different ways. For many of us, God’s speaks through spontaneous thoughts, pictures, feelings or impressions. He rarely speaks to us in an audible voice.

Mark Virkler tells us that ‘the definition of paga, the Greek word for intercession, is a ‘chance encounter or an accidental intersecting.’

When God speaks to us, showing us what He wants us to know or pray about, He often does it through paga, thoughts that come spontaneously, interrupting our own thought process.

As you still yourself and wait, spontaneous thoughts will begin to flow and you’ll find yourself having an inner conversation with God.

Look for the Lord there with you, and watch Him as He speaks to you. You’ll find that if you look, you’ll see. You’ll see spontaneous images in the same way that you receive spontaneous inner thoughts.

You might find that inner vision comes so easily that you want to reject it, thinking that it’s just you. If you persevere and record what you see and hear, your doubts will soon give way to faith as you begin to recognise that what you’re seeing and hearing is mostly from God.

It’s a good idea to have a journal with you and record what you see and hear. Your journal is your way of saying to God 'I value what you say to me.' It’s also a step of faith, showing that you expect Him to speak.

Write in faith, simply believing that it’s God. Don’t censor what you’re receiving. Let it flow. You can test it later, making sure that it lines up with Scripture and even running what you’ve heard by a trusted friend.

You’ll be surprised at how much you hear when you start to journal. You’ll probably realise that God has been speaking all along but you just didn’t recognise it.

Put aside any doubts you might have and trust that God really is present and speaking to you.

Are you ready to wait, look and listen?

Find a quite place and spend some time in worship.
Sit quietly, visualise yourself with Jesus.
Talk to Him and ask Him questions. Listen and sense His reply.
Write down His answers.

Afterwards, Test What You Hear

Is it biblical - does it line up with Scripture?
Is it a voice of love or a voice of fear? God hasn’t given us a spirit of fear, He told us to be ‘anxious for nothing’. If what you've heard creates fear and anxiety it probably isn't from God.
Is it convicting or is it condemning? He may be convicting you of sin but condemnation is never from God.

If what you’ve heard involves a major decision, look for confirmation and seek the counsel of mature Christians before taking action.

Lord, thank You for drawing us to the secret place. Teach us how to listen. Help us to be like Samuel who said, ‘Speak for your servant is listening.’ Let us be those hear you in our heart. Help us to get used to the sound of your voice so that we can easily recognise when you’re speaking. Help us to still and quieten our soul so that we can hear you more. Give us eyes to see and ears to hear.

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