How to Better Hear God's Voiceনমুনা

Seeking His Voice in His Presence

Personally, it is after establishing calm in my mind that I begin my prayer. Of course, this may take some time initially, but the goal is to acquire this discipline for better communication with God.

A biblical passage that can enrich our understanding of spiritual discipline is 1 Kings 19:12, where the story of Prophet Elijah is mentioned.

It's intriguing to note that the Bible speaks of a "gentle whisper," and in the Darby version, it is written as "a soft and gentle voice."

The Bible says something was before the Lord: so the Lord approached Elijah, but there was something between Elijah and God. It was God who caused the wind, God who caused the earthquake, God who caused the fire.

But it was something that came before God, which was before the Lord. God approached, but before God arrived, there were all sorts of manifestations—but God was not in these manifestations. Then, at a specific moment, there was a soft and gentle voice, a whisper, and that's when the Lord was present.

How can we understand this reality today in our Christian life? I'd like to give you an example using my wife: she enters a room and leaves, but I can smell her perfume in the room; I know my wife was there. I recognize that my wife was in the room, but she is no longer there; there is a scent I know that is present.

Sometimes, we can go into God's presence and, before God comes to speak to us, before we start hearing that soft and gentle voice, that whisper, there can be all sorts of manifestations: you may feel God's presence because you will feel chills, but that's not God's voice, that's God's presence, and that's God coming. There's something before the eternal (you won't feel an earthquake, you won't see fire). You may feel a warmth around you, you may feel a weight that is there but does not crush you, but you feel that God is there!

But there's more! Yes, these signs are elements that show God is there, but you need to go further, and that's where I encourage you to say, "Okay, there's something that shows God has come, but after that, you have to go further."

Spiritual progression goes beyond these manifestations, urging to seek deeper communication with God. The reference to Song of Solomon emphasizes a preference for God's "caress" rather than just feeling His presence. This highlights a quest for intimate relation with God beyond sensory experiences.

Thus, to better hear God's voice, I encourage you to discipline your mind and recognize there's more to experience. Seeking God's voice is not limited to just presence or outward manifestations but involves a deliberate quest to perceive God's soft and gentle voice. This naturally leads us to another point: silent meditation.

Pray with me:

Lord, an hour in Your presence is better than a thousand elsewhere! I want to feel and experience Your presence and hear Your voice. Make me sensitive, I pray, in Jesus' name.

Jérémy Pothin