Hearing God's Voice in the PsalmsSýnishorn

God Speaks

“God has spoken from his sanctuary: “In triumph I will parcel out Shechem and measure off the Valley of Succoth.” (Psalm 60:6 NIV84)

I am impressed, even envious, of how either the Psalmist or someone in the sanctuary heard the voice of God so clearly when all was not well in the country. David is the author of this Psalm. He wrote how he was praying (verses one to five), and then, in the middle of his prayer, he said, “God has spoken…” In real-time, at the time they needed God to speak, God did. He records what God said in verses six through eight. Then, he concludes his prayer in the remaining four verses. This sounds more like a dialogue than a monologue.

I am challenged by the sensitivity of the person who heard God’s voice so clearly. For years, my prayers were an absolute monologue. Listening was not a part of my praying. My intent was to include everything and everyone who needed to be prayed for. I believed it was my Christian duty to share with God everything I could possibly think of. While my motives and intentions were honorable, the only thing working was my mouth. As I look back on those years, I wonder how frustrated God must have been as He listened to me and hoped I would pause to take a breath so He could speak.

According to the title David gave this Psalm, it is the story of two wars. The Israelites were battling their enemies in the North and the South. Thousands would die. The reality of this situation devasted David. The war in the South resulted in the temporary defeat of Israel. They were shaken and staggered by the loss. Nonetheless, David acknowledged they were not a people without hope. They served a God who could save and deliver them. So, they prayed, and they listened. God spoke, and the Israelites were triumphant.

We have our wars, and we have the same hearing and speaking God David and the Israelites had. When we feel God has forgotten us, or we enter into a difficult season of life where we feel shaken and torn, or if we would describe our situation as desperate—it is precisely at that time we need to have a dialogue with God.

To experience God's triumphant voice, we must learn how He speaks to us. How He speaks to me may be very different from how He speaks to you. Most often, He speaks through the Scriptures we read. Other times, He speaks through a worship song we sing, a Christian book we read, a Christian speaker we listen to, a bible study we are a part of, or a Christian friend we talk to. On some rare occasions, God will send a stranger to speak into our lives. In every instance, we must train ourselves to listen for the Lord’s voice.

In this instance, the Psalmist was in the sanctuary or with others in the sanctuary when God spoke. At the very least, someone in the sanctuary found him to share what God had said. The truth the Spirit of God is making in verse six is we must be in a spiritual relationship and in a spiritual rhythm with Him to hear Him. Jesus said several times, “He who has ears, let him hear.” To the seven churches mentioned in the book of Revelation, the Apostle John wrote, “He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.”

How does God speak to you? Can you describe to others what your communication with God is like? The person who heard God’s voice, as noted in this Psalm, did so with specificity. I desire to hear God’s voice as he did. Do you?

For me, hearing God’s voice is most often through an impression in my mind as I read the Scriptures. God’s Word (Scriptures) is God’s active and inspired voice. When I open the Scriptures, I pause and command my mind to focus on what I am reading. I mentally set aside all of the issues of the day. I have learned divine impressions most often come like a breeze rather than a tornado. They come like a soft tap on the shoulder of my soul. They are more of a whisper than a shout. If a word, phrase, or verse catches my attention, I pause to consider whether the Lord is directing my attention. I will spend a few moments journaling those thoughts. In many cases, the journaling turns into a dialogue within my soul.

When I begin to pray, I have learned to create a margin of stillness in my prayers. I have learned to pause and take a breath! In those moments of stillness, I am in hope and faith God will guide my thoughts on how I should pray, what to pray for that I had not considered, and who to pray for that I had not thought to pray for.

Let us live into John 16:13,

“But when he, the Spirit of truth, comes, he will guide you into all truth. He will not speak on his own; he will speak only what he hears, and he will tell you what is yet to come.”

For the Christ-follower, the Spirit of truth, the Holy Spirit, has come and dwells in each. Let us learn to pause and give God a place to talk as we listen.