God is speaking to us all the time and we are told that His sheep hear His voice (John 10:27). His is the voice of many waters that can be heard simultaneously in the hearts of countless people who are in relationship with Him, but how many people actually tune in to His frequency and are intimately acquainted with that distinct voice?
I believe there are 2 keys from Elijah’s experience that teach us about hearing the voice of God. He was sheltering in the cleft of a rock as a furious earth-shaking wind, an earthquake and a fire sequentially blew, crashed and swept around him but finally God spoke to him in a still, small voice (I Kings 19:12).
I suggest that being still is the first key to hearing from God. Slow down, be calm and wait to hear that voice. We read of many faithful men in the Bible quietly meditating and praying at the end of their day. Right in Genesis we read about God communing with Adam and Eve in the cool of the day (Gen. 3:8). I like to think that that’s what Isaac was doing as he walked in the fields in the early evening near “The Well of the Living One Who Sees Me” (Gen. 24:62) while he waited on God to provide him a wife through his servant. Certainly many evenings Jesus spent in the hills in communion with God.
Only when your mind is absolutely still can the impressions from God enter your mind. Just like learning a new language, it will take time and practice but don’t let your own thinking block what you think God is saying. I tell you this because I learnt the hard way. I was at the train station in the city and God told me to go up to a random woman because she was praying for someone to teach her about Jesus. I looked at her, well-dressed, poised and confident, and felt too awkward to go up to her. She went her way and I never saw her again. To this day I feel sad that God couldn’t use me on that occasion and the privilege of witnessing was given to someone else who would be obedient.
The second key to hearing from God is being small, being humble. It is only when we give up our own thoughts and plans that God can share His intimate heart with us. If we have no agendas on the canvas in our minds, God can easily write His own messages.
“Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and eat with him, and he with me.” (Rev. 3:20 ESV)