How to Hear God’s Voice

Our God is big. He made the world, and everyone in it, which means He made you! And that’s good news, because God wants to have a relationship with you.

When God created the world, He spoke it into being (Genesis 1). And all throughout Scripture, from Genesis to Revelation, God speaks to people in different ways. Sometimes it’s through a quiet whisper, or other times a voice like rushing waters, or even through the mouth of a donkey! But the Bible is clear—our God speaks, continually, and He’s still speaking today!

Maybe you’re someone who wants to hear God’s voice, but you don’t know how. Perhaps you’ve even tried, and feel like He didn’t answer you. Maybe you want to listen but can’t focus long enough to hear. Or maybe you’re frustrated, because it seems like God is talking to everyone else but you.

If you think God doesn’t want to speak to you, be encouraged: Jesus says in John 10:27 that “My sheep hear My voice and I know them, and they follow me.”

Sometimes the simple things can be the hardest.

The Bible is a book filled with songs and prayers to God, and messages and promises from Him. All Scripture is inspired by the Holy Spirit (2 Timothy 3:16). God’s Word is alive, sharper than a two-edged sword (Hebrews 4:12), and it wants to come alive in you!

The Bible is one of the best ways to learn to hear God’s voice. Scripture is meant to introduce us to a Man, Jesus—the One who loves us, guides us, and has promised to speak to us.

God doesn’t want to only answer our questions—although those are important; He wants to have a deep, personal relationship with us. Bible study, prayer, and hearing God’s voice are all about “encountering the Man hidden between the lines,” says Kirk Bennett, a senior leader at the International House of Prayer.

“People aren’t discipled in prayer,” Kirk said in a recent interview. “Everybody’s told to pray, but almost no one’s told how to pray.”

Kirk realized God was speaking to him when he began writing verses from the Bible over and over (and over!) again. As he was copying Scripture about God’s heart for the poor, he would see phrases he’d never seen before. “I realized that that phrase was somehow God talking to me,” he said. “A host of understanding came to me about that phrase.”

More than memorization, Kirk was looking for encounter. It may seem strange to write the same verse out time and time again, but God met him so powerfully that years later he’s still doing it, and teaching people to hear God through His Word.

Kirk starts by reading and writing out a verse or phrase repeatedly. He stays with the same phrase for a long time—usually one to three weeks, or even a month or more. After reading and writing, he moves on to saying it out loud, singing it, and then praying it back to God, doing each step until the Word is alive in him. “It’s not vain repetition if there’s faith involved,” he says.

As we read, write, sing, and pray the Word, the Holy Spirit writes God’s truth on our hearts. This is how God shows us His character and gives us wisdom to apply to our everyday lives—including questions about school, work, and relationships. We will hear His voice and sense His direction by encountering Him in His Word.

Simply knowing the Bible isn’t enough; Jesus said the Pharisees (the religious leaders of His day) searched the Scriptures constantly but couldn’t see Him, the very source of life (John 5:37–40). It’s desire for encounter and reading in partnership with the Holy Spirit that will reveal Jesus, our Savior and the One with the answers to every issue, question, and fear.

God wants to speak to us, and He’s given us a book full of His words, which point us to Jesus. And Jesus, our Good Shepherd, says that His sheep will hear His voice. So be encouraged—open the Book, encounter the Man, and you will learn to hear His voice in your life!

Adam Wittenberg

position

A Detroit native who was raised in Vermont and Connecticut, Adam worked as a newspaper journalist until 2012, when he moved to Kansas City to complete the Intro to IHOPKC internship. Afterwards, he earned a four-year certificate in House of Prayer Leadership from IHOPU and is now on full-time staff in the Marketing department at IHOPKC. He also serves in the NightWatch (overnight prayer hours) and is active in evangelism. He, and his wife Stephany, have a vision to reach people everywhere with the good news of Jesus Christ.