hearing god / by courtney cole

The topic of hearing God and following the Holy Spirit has been surfacing around me. It has made me question how many people have yet to experience the voice of God, especially those who are in the church now, as well as those yet to set their hope in Jesus. I have been praying about what do to with this knowledge to bring about the awareness and beautiful intimacy that hearing God has on us and God lead me to some wonderful ladies I met through the Allume Conference, who are brave and bold and willing to share their story of how they have come to hear the voice of God through this series. It is not a list of "how tos" or of verses on hearing God or things of the sort. Just an honest, open discussion of the telling of their story. Of their journey to the place where God's voice is the one they listen to. You can find the entire series here. 

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“Only after all the noise has spent itself do we begin to hear in the silence of our hearts, the voice of God.” A.W. Tozer

The concept that God speaks, that He is capable of being heard, has always been part of my comprehension of His character. I come from a rich heritage of faith, where the saving and redeeming blood of Christ has always been taught and mostly accepted. I grew up believing that God spoke to His children. I just never planned on hearing His voice. I somehow felt excluded from the group of God Hearers, as if one needed to be a Biblical scholar or theologian to be deemed worthy of hearing the voice of God.

So when He spoke to me, clearly and quietly, I listened. I thought I was insane. No louder than a whisper, but as powerful as a bellowing declaration, His voice resonated within me. In that moment, there was no doubt that God was the one speaking. I had heard my own thoughts before and they were never delivered with such authority, such peace.

I was excited and terrified. I had always talked to God, but hearing His voice was a sweet reminder that I was in a relationship with Him. I wasn’t just talking to the ceiling or spewing words into the air around me. God was listening and He cared enough to respond. He still responds.

I assure you that I don’t follow a magic formula to bargain for the sound of His voice. I simply spend time with Him. Because I want to know His heart, I make it a priority to read His Word and pray. I take breaks from social media and other distractions and I set aside time to just be with God.

But most importantly, I give God the opportunity to speak. I no longer limit Him and His ability to work in my life by the way that I view myself, thinking that I am too young or too insignificant. I’m not excluded from the group of God Hearers. And neither are you, friends. I pray that you would give God the opportunity to speak in your lives. I’m sure that He has some amazing things to say.

An ambassador for Christ disguised as a singer/writer, Courtney is a young woman with a heart for encouragement. When she’s not traveling and singing, you can find her with her nose stuck in a good book or her fingers tangled in a crochet project.  Grab a cup of coffee (or tea, you rebel) and visit her at www.eyesofmuna.blogspot.com or connect on Twitter: @blessedxlashea