As Elijah stood there, the LORD passed by, and a mighty windstorm hit the mountain. It was such a terrible blast that the rocks were torn loose, but the LORD was not in the wind. After the wind there was an earthquake, but the LORD was not in the earthquake. And after the earthquake there was a fire, but the LORD was not in the fire. And after the fire there was the sound of a gentle whisper. – 1 Kings 19:11-12 NLT
In our fast-paced, self-centric culture, listening is becoming a lost art. We want to be heard, but we don’t want to hear. We don’t always want to take the time to sit down and listen to someone share their heart or express an opinion that differs from our own.
For Christians, the ability to listen deeply and patiently is paramount to our social and emotional wellbeing, and even more so to our spiritual wellbeing and relationship with the Lord. As our passage today demonstrates, God will never shout to be heard over the noise of the world. Psalm 37:7 says, “Be still in the presence of the LORD, and wait patiently for Him to act” (NLT). If we want to hear His voice, we have to learn to slow down, be patient, and listen.
But what does this actually look like in practice? How do we slow our lives down enough to create margin to listen? How can we be sure we’re hearing God’s voice and not just our own thoughts or the beliefs we’ve subconsciously adopted from family, friends, and culture?
The most crucial aspect of a relationship is reciprocity; no connection can thrive if only one person is putting in effort. Both people have to commit to sharing their hearts, their time, and their resources with each other.
The same goes for our relationship with God. We tell Him what’s on our heart, we ask for things we need, we thank Him for all the good gifts He’s given us, we spend time in His Word—and then we sit back and listen to what He has to say to us. We receive His encouragement, guidance, and correction.
It’s not hard to hear God’s voice, but it does take intentional time and practice. Think of listening like a muscle. If you’re not in the habit of exercising the muscle—for instance, if you have music playing to fill every moment of silence, or if your prayers look more like a list of requests than a conversation with your Father—the muscle will weaken. But if you commit to regularly exercising the muscle—creating margin for silence, asking God to speak and then actually taking the time to pause and listen—then the muscle will grow stronger, and the process of listening will become easier.
Start with confessing your desire to hear God’s voice to Him. If you feel like you don’t yet know how to discern His voice, tell Him! You can pray something like this: God, I want to hear Your voice, but I’m not sure how. Teach me to listen. Help me distinguish between the noise of the world and Your still, small whisper. Give me the patience to sit with You, not just because I need something, but because I desire closer communion with You.
