What Stops Us From Hearing?

As we dive into the different ways God speaks and how we hear his voice, it’s helpful to acknowledge the things that might stand in the way of hearing clearly. Pete shares his own experience of unhelpful beliefs holding him back.

'I learned to listen out for God’s voice in sermons and in Bible verses that seemed relevant enough to my situation to be appropriated as such… But I never really learned to hear the Lord for myself, not as a natural part of a living relationship. Looking back now, I think I had unwittingly developed three fundamental problems with the very notion of God speaking to me either supernaturally or in any consistently conversational way: psychological, theological and experiential.

Psychologically, I felt unworthy of any kind of special attention from God, and my experiences backed this up…

Theologically, I had absorbed some of the prejudices of dispensationalism… This is the idea that we should no longer expect God to speak and act miraculously today in the ways he once did in the Bible because all that sort of thing died the day the ink dried on the New Testament…

Experientially, I was unfamiliar with the voice of God. Apart from the Bible, I only really expected him to communicate through my conscience (which seemed basically to be God saying ‘No!’ a lot).'

Can you relate to any of these mindsets? As you go through this devotional, it may be helpful to take some time to consider where discouragement has crept into your approach to God. Be honest with him about how you’re feeling.

The good news is that there is no single, one right way that God speaks. As it says in Job, he speaks in many different ways – and throughout this devotional, we’ll be exploring quite a few. And as Jesus says in today’s passage in Matthew, everyone who seeks, finds.

Why not pause now and journal about your experience of hearing God’s voice, taking time to consider the three areas Pete mentions?

Lord, if there are any misconceptions or misunderstandings that hold me back from hearing your voice, please reveal them to me. Thank you for your promise that all who ask, receive. Today, I am asking for the grace to hear you more clearly than I ever have.

Amen.