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If you’ve ever felt like you just can’t connect with God—that you can’t hear his voice—I encourage you to continue because I want to talk about what interferes with our God-connection. Let me ask you this question: If God wanted to speak to you today, what barrier would he have to overcome in order to get through to you?
The first and probably the most common barrier is that we are just too busy to hear God. Have you allowed your life to become so hectic, so over-scheduled, that you really don’t have time to listen to God? In order to hear God, you have to block out other distracting voices and sounds. That means some quiet time, some uninterrupted time, which you devote to God and hearing him talk to you. For me that is usually early morning time before the day’s activities get in the way.
Mostly God speaks through his written Word, but the way you approach reading the Bible will determine whether you really hear God or not. I begin with a prayer that God will speak to me through his Word, and then I read with the intention of hearing what God is saying to me. If my mind wanders and I realize I haven’t really been listening as I read, I just make myself start again, and discipline myself to focus on the words and meditate on what I’m reading.
I have a structured plan for reading the Bible, and when I approach that time with the attitude that I want to hear what God is saying to me today, it never fails that something pops off the page and is just what I need for that day. For example, I was reading Philippians again recently and verse 16 in chapter 3 spoke directly to me. It says, “Only let us live up to what we have already attained.”
I stopped there and began to write in my journal what God was saying to me. I’ve read that chapter many times, but that verse was new to me that day, and God spoke to me about some things I need to do to live up to what I already know. I heard God speak to me.
I urge you to set aside time to hear God through his Word, and put in writing what you hear. There is nothing more important that letting God speak to you, and he will, if you’re not too busy to listen.
My Bible study, A Guide on Getting to Know God, will help you structure a meaningful time with God each day, so you can truly hear what he wants to say to you.