Hearing God’s voice is not easy but it is a necessity for us as God’s children as we navigate through life. How do we know if we heard the Lord instead of hearing ourselves or the enemy? The scriptures give us direction on this important issue.
Then Mary said, “Behold the maidservant of the Lord! Let it be to me according to your word.” And the angel departed from her. Luke 1:38
God’s Idea
When the word of the Lord (through the angel) came to Mary, she was not expecting it. The message given to her was not something that she would have conjured up or thought of. The message was God’s idea, and it would have cost Mary something. When we live our lives in simplicity of faith and walk with God, the Lord has access to speak to us and to download what He desires in our lives. The voice of the Lord does not boost our ego, but it settles our identity in God. It allows us to remain dependent on the Lord and look to Him as He takes us through the journey. Mary and Joseph had to continue to look to the Lord in this process and be led by Him in order to protect the baby and raise Jesus for the purpose God had for Him.
Therefore David inquired of the Lord, saying, “Shall I go and attack these Philistines?” And the Lord said to David, “Go and attack the Philistines, and save Keilah.” 1 Samuel 23:2
Seek God and Remain Neutral
King David inquired of the Lord frequently, especially, as it related to going to wars with other nations. The beauty of David’s inquiry is that David did not allow his emotions to justify going to battle. His ego was not involved in trying to prove his might and his strength. He didn’t presume because Israel is God’s special people that it meant God was going to give them success in every battle. Instead, David put himself in a neutral position and allowed the Lord to speak to him. In some instances, the Lord told him to go to war and in other situations, He told him not to. David followed the Lord’s instructions and God gave Him success!
Sometimes, we are so focused on reaching our goals that hearing God takes a backseat to our agenda. The truth is that any path we take, we may experience some bumps on the road. If we have arrived there by our the strength of our will, then the difficulties along the way will challenge our decision. On the other hand, if we have heard the Lord before moving in a certain direction, then we know that this is God’s will and we can fight the spiritual battle with God’s strength.
God’s Answer in His Timing
One of the important things in hearing the voice of God is that we cannot make it happen in our timing. If we strive in the flesh to hear God’s voice, we will eventually hear something, but it won’t be the voice of God. We may end up hearing our own desires or the enemy’s deception. We can’t force God to speak to us when we expect to hear from Him. We need to be willing to wait and yield our will. God is going to speak when He knows it’s the right time to speak. Our job is to abide in Him, look to Him, and wait on Him.
Do you hear the voice of the Lord unexpectedly? When you need an answer, can you place aside your emotions and opinions and remain in a neutral position? Are you able to wait to hear Him speak?
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