Learning the Voice of God
“I wan unny capiwah,” my two-year-old son said and looked expectantly at his grandparents. They simultaneously turned their heads to me for translation.
I asked him to repeat what he said, then worked through the jumble of syllables. I thought about what he had been doing that morning, what he could be wanting. Then I asked him, “You want to read The Very Hungry Caterpillar?”
He nodded eagerly, and his grandparents let out a relieved sigh that I had been able to understand my sweet son’s muddled speech.
Many days, I feel like I’m the only one who can understand him. It’s not that his articulation is clearer to me; I’m just used to his voice. I know what sounds he gets mixed up. I know what he typically wants after a nap. I know the best ways to ask clarifying questions without frustrating him. I understand his voice because I spend most of my days listening to it. I know what he is saying because I know him.
I may not always get frustrated by my toddler’s unique form of gibberish, but I’m more often discouraged by my lack of understanding God’s voice.
Many of us wonder how we will ever discern God’s will for our life. When we pray—“Should I take this job? How do I handle this difficult relationship? What are the next steps in my ministry?”—we’re unsure if we will clearly understand his voice.
When Jesus described himself as the Good Shepherd, he promised, “My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me” (John 10:27). When we know God, we can hear his voice and follow it.
My toddler doesn’t purposefully jumble his words; he wants to be understood. So does God. He’s not laying out clues, hoping I can solve the divine puzzle in time. Rather he has given me—and you—three clear ways we can know him and therefore know his voice.
1. Study his Word
When we come to God’s Word, we don’t merely look for answers to life’s problems. Rather, we study who God is, what he’s done, and what he’s promised. While there may not be verses on what job to take or whether to move, we can learn what he loves and how he works in the lives of his people. God’s voice always aligns with how he has revealed himself in his Word.
2. Remember his faithfulness
When we’re struggling to know what God wants for us in the future, we often quickly forget how he has led us in the past. We must regularly look back and remember how God has guided us through life changes and new opportunities (often in surprising ways). When we call to mind the faithfulness of God, we are encouraged to patiently wait for his guidance again.
3. Seek his body
Finally, we can seek counsel from other Spirit-led believers. Often, we are too focused on our concerns and questions to see the bigger picture. God often uses the body of Christ—the church—to convict us of sin, guide our steps, and encourage our hearts. When filtered through God’s Word and Spirit, the body of Christ can help us discern the voice of God in our lives.
Sometimes God speaks through one of these means, sometimes through all three. Other times, he surprises us with an answer in nature, a comment from a stranger, or a serendipitous though in our mind. He will use any and all these methods to communicate with us, because he desires to be heard.
We will hear God’s answer when we know his voice. We can only know God’s voice when we know him.