Daily Devotional: Hearing God

​Are you struggling to find God's will for your life? God is not silent in answering your prayers for guidance. Today, we look at why you may not be hearing His answers.

I Corinthians 2:14

“[T]he natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned.”

We all know God’s voice. As our Creator, God’s voice is distinct to us and instantly recognizable. So, why can’t we recognize Him now?
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There is a difference between recognizing God’s voice and obeying God’s voice. How many times did your father or mother tell you something that you just chose not to hear, like, “Go clean your room”? You knew who was speaking to you, but you dismissed what was said. You chose not to listen.

We do the same thing to God. Our spirit recognizes God instantly, but we choose to dismiss what is said. It is inconvenient, uncomfortable, or just plain something we don’t want to do.

Consider the rich man who asked Jesus what he must do to inherit eternal life. He clearly heard Jesus’ reply, “sell all that thou hast, and distribute unto the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven: and come, follow me,” yet the man went away sorrowfully (Luke 18:18-25). He heard God’s voice but did not like what was said. He chose not to hear God’s message and walked away as if he had not heard the way to eternal life.

The truth is, we love what we are doing, what we have, or our own reasoning more than God. When God tries to guide us, we dismiss it because it does not suit us; it is not the answer we want to hear, so we convince ourselves that God has not spoken to us.

Jesus clearly stated that if we ask God for the Holy Spirit, He will not withhold it from us (Luke 11:13). If we want to hear from God, if we want the Holy Spirit to fill us and guide us, God will speedily give Him to us. The problem, then, is us.

When you want to hear from God, you must be willing to listen. You must be willing to put aside your own desires, thoughts, and understanding to hear God’s teachings. You must open your mind to God’s wisdom. Only when you silence the clutter of your emotions and opinions will you be able to consciously hear God’s voice. 

• Reflection: Are you truly willing to listen to God, or do you only want to hear from Him when you like what He says? Leave a comment below to share what has happened when you began to truly listen to God.