How nice would it be to hear God speak in an audible voice every time? There are moments in the Bible when He spoke out loud to people, such as when His voice came across as thunder (1 Samuel 2:10; Job 37:2; Psalm 104:7; John 12:29). But as loud as God can be, He can also speak through stillness (1 Kings 19:12; Zechariah 4:6). That's quite a range of ways God speaks to us! So how can we hear God's voice? Here's quote from Justin Peters that gives us some great advice, "If you want to hear God speak, read your Bible. If you want to hear God speak audibly, read your Bible out loud."1
Keep in mind that the answers God gives us may already be right in front of us, because He has already spoken through His Word. When we have questions for Him, often we just need to open the Bible and seek His truth there. 2 Timothy 3:16-17 says that "all Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work." Scripture is complete and filled with a multitude of biblical principles that can help us find answers to any question.
The first thing we need so we can hear God's voice clearly is a pure heart (Psalm 66:18; Matthew 5:8). Spiritually speaking, we have an unclean heart because we're sinners (Romans 3:23; Jeremiah 17:9; Isaiah 64:6). God is holy and perfect (Psalm 99:9), and our sinfulness keeps us apart from Him, unable to hear Him or follow Him.
Trusting Jesus as your Savior and allowing His righteousness to stand in place of your UN-righteousness is how you purify your heart (2 Corinthians 5:21). By receiving this gift of God's grace, you become a child of God (John 1:12; Ephesians 2:8-9). And as a child of God, the voice of your Heavenly Father will become loud and clear.
Jesus uses the analogy of sheep and a shepherd to explain how those who are part of God's family can recognize His voice. John 10:4-5 (NLT) says, "After [a shepherd] has gathered his own flock, he walks ahead of them, and they follow him because they know his voice. They won't follow a stranger; they will run from him because they don't know his voice." When we belong to Jesus, we're able to hear and follow the voice of the One we trust and who cares for us.
Practically speaking, a "pure heart" is one that values God's truth over trying to protect evil desires. If we're asking God to justify our sinful actions or conceal our sin, Proverbs 28:9 says such a prayer is an abomination. When our motivations align with God's goodness, we can rest in the assurance that we're praying with pure motives.
"Delight yourself in the Lord, and he will give you the desires of your heart." —Psalm 37:4
Think of a time when you had a fight with your parents. Did heated words come out of your mouth? Did you have anger in your heart? When they gave you advice or instructions, did you have a hard time listening? It's pretty likely that was difficult, because anger kept you from hearing them.
In a similar way, our sin can keep us from hearing God. Sins like self-centeredness keep us from seeing things from God's perspective. Pride keeps us from submitting to God's will and His way of doing things. Bitterness causes us to focus on getting what we want instead of the wisdom of God's answer or His plans and purposes.
The Bible shows us that there are some things God has already specifically told us is His will for His children. When you see those in Scripture, you can have confidence in that aspect of God's will for your life. Here are some examples:
As you're reading Scripture, look for the phrase "this is the will of God," take note, and understand the context. Those are usually very clear instructions of God telling us what He wants us to do.
Sometimes the answer to our questions about God's will is not plainly given in His Word. For example, you won't find a specific verse telling you if you should go to college, take a job opportunity, or pursue a certain relationship. However, God has given us many biblical principles that can help us examine our situation, understand His will, and hear His voice in whatever circumstances we face.
God's Will Never Contradicts Scripture: God will never instruct us to do something that goes against biblical principles. Sometimes people will say that they "heard from God" on a matter, but what they "heard" contradicts what God has already said in Scripture. If that is the case, then that person has not really heard from God. He never contradicts Himself (Numbers 23:19) and His Word endures forever so it never expires, becomes outdated, or needs to be replaced with a new word (Isaiah 40:8, Psalm 119:160).
Seek Godly Counsel: If you have trouble discerning what God's will is, then seek godly counsel. A trusted Christian friend or mentor can pray with you and help you understand His Word (Proverbs 15:22). God has given us parents, church leaders, counselors, books/podcasts, and other people/resources that can share wisdom and experience with us. Whatever counsel you seek, make sure that they are viewing things from God's frame of reference and perspective and directing you back to His Word and those biblical principles.
Study Scripture in Context: When reading Scripture, there's sometimes a temptation to "cherry pick" verses that sound the way we want. But, if we aren't careful, that can lead to incorrect application. 2 Timothy 2:15 says we ought to "rightly" handle the word of truth, so we want to make sure we are keeping the context of Scripture in mind before we apply it to our lives.
There's a terrible joke about a person who wanted to know the will of God, so he opened the Bible and saw Matthew 27:5, which says that Judas went and hung himself. He opened the Bible again, and it said, "Go and do likewise," so he went and unalived himself. That's a pretty morbid interpretation and application, but you see the problem?
If we are to faithfully apply Scripture in our lives, then we must study the Bible appropriately. Don't just pick apart a single verse by itself. Read the whole paragraph, the paragraphs around it, or even the whole section or chapter to make sure that you're interpreting and understanding God's voice correctly. BibleRef.com is a great online commentary that gives verse-by-verse context that helps believers understand what God is saying.
Every believer has the Holy Spirit within them, and he helps us remember what God's Word says and how to apply it to our specific situations (John 14:15-17, 26). But it's our responsibility to have those biblical principles and understanding in our minds to start with!
"But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, he will teach you all things and bring to your remembrance all that I have said to you." —John 14:26
Whenever we're confused or unsure about God's will, we can talk to Him directly, and He will give His wisdom freely—without judgment (James 1:5). If we desire to walk in His ways, then He will guide us. Sometimes we must be patient for an answer. Sometimes God answers in a way we didn't expect. But we can have confidence in what He has already said in His Word and trust Him to guide us as we listen to His voice and ask for wisdom in all things.
RESOURCES: 1. Justin Peters, @JustinPetersMin (3-1-2023). https://x.com/JustinPetersMin/status/1631050365704470529
The primary way God speaks is through His Word, the Bible (2 Timothy 3:16-17). The first requirement for hearing God's voice is to have a clean heart so that our sin does not get in the way of hearing God. The Bible is clear on some things, such as avoiding sexual immorality (1 Thessalonians 4:3) or giving thanks (1 Thessalonians 5:18). In situations where God has not given specific directions, we must use spiritual discernment by having a contextual understanding of Scripture, listening to the Holy Spirit, and correctly applying biblical principles to our lives. Whenever we're confused or unsure about God's will, we can talk to Him directly, and He will give His wisdom freely—without judgment (James 1:5).
Hanna loves spending time with kids and teens. She enjoys being detectives with them to investigate God's Word to discover truths to answer any questions. She is the co-author of a newly published apologetics curriculum for children and teaches one online for highschoolers-adults. To learn more about her ministry you can visit networkerstec.com. For fun, she likes to play Ultimate Frisbee, read historical fiction, and paint.
