If you’re just joining us, we’ve been considering some practical steps we can take to get better and better at hearing God’s voice.  To see what’s been covered so far (each post is fairly short), start here.  Today I want to offer a final ‘filter’ in the process.  To recap:

Get away to listen. Then, when you believe you’ve heard God speak…

filter it through Scripture,

filter it through wise council and finally,

filter it through action.

Samuel is such a helpful example of how important this final ‘filter’ can be.  When God first whispers to him, Samuel doesn’t recognize God’s voice (can anyone relate?!?)  But he gets up — and goes to the only person he can think is speaking — his mentor, Eli.  Eli, like any sleepy adult who is awoken at 3am, tells the child to go back to bed…perhaps with a slight edge to his voice.  Samuel obeys, but he soon hears the voice again.  So he gets up — goes to Eli — and is again told to go back to bed.  This happens a third time, and finally Eli is awake enough (spiritually speaking) to realize what’s going on. He tells Samuel to go back to bed and if he hears this voice again, he should answer “Speak, Lord, your servant is listening.”

It was through action – through trial and error – that Samuel learned to discern God’s voice.  It is so often the same for us.  There comes a moment when only stepping out will tell you what you want to know.

Recently, while spending some time reflecting and praying in the morning, I thought that I heard God say to me that I needed to confess my pride to someone in my life — someone very close to me — and ask for forgiveness for the way my pride had damaged our relationship.  To be clear — I didn’t hear God audibly speak.  It was more of a whisper — a still small voice.  And so I started to run it through the filters.

Does this line up with Scripture?   Absolutely.  We are to lay down our lives for each other.  And pursuing reconciliation is at the top of the list.  Check.

What about the filter of wise counsel?  I knew that everyone of the people I go to for help in these situations would encourage me to move forward.  This one was pretty obvious. Check.

So that meant it was time to act.  Time to move.  Time to obey.

But I didn’t.  Not at first.  Even as clear as this was to me — I didn’t want to do it.  I made up reasons why I thought it wouldn’t work.  I imagined horrific scenarios during which my confession was rejected — the relationship damaged.  Etc. Etc.  It wasn’t until weeks later — and a couple of more times of hearing from God — that I finally acted.

And do you know how it went?  It. was. really. hard.  (I mean….really hard).  But at the end of it, a small ray of light began to shine again in our relationship.  A light that grew and grew in the coming days.  Reconciliation ended up happening.  And it was at that point — being able to look back on the experience — that I was able to say with confidence that God has spoken to me all those days prior.

Obeying God doesn’t mean that the path forward will be easy.  Again – the conversation I had (out of obedience) was tough.  So the test isn’t whether or not everything becomes rosy once we obey — the test is whether there is fruit produced. Somewhere, somehow there should be fruit if it was God speaking (think about all of the times in Scripture when God’s spoken word — God’s voice — produces life.  The same is to be true in our lives).

Samuel learned God’s voice through trial and error.  He, like Abraham had to get up and go — and it was in the ‘going’ that God’s voice became more clear.  Esther – who had received wise counsel — found God’s word faithful when she stepped out and had one of the hardest conversations imaginable.  It was in the wrestling and struggling that Jacob heard God speak.  And the stories go on and on.*

Hearing God’s voice is not always easy.  The world is a terribly noisy place.  But God is speaking.  Today.  To you.  Because, you see, you are meant to hear and know the Shepherd’s voice.  To help us, God gives us the Scriptures and wise friends.  But in the end, we must step out and obey as best we can.  Sure….we may get it wrong some times.  But so did Samuel and plenty of others.  Because you see, even when we get it ‘wrong’, God uses it for good — using our mistakes to teach us to better recognize his voice the next time around.

So keep listening, friends.  And then start moving, because it’s in that journey of obedience that we become better and better at hearing our Creator’s voice.

I’ve been writing over the last couple of weeks about how we can grow in our ability to discern God’s voice.  I’m convinced that this is an absolutely critical skill if we are to follow Jesus, because I’m convinced that following Jesus revolves around these two questions: “What is God saying to me?” “What am I going to do about it?”

I spent the first post advocating for regular times of listening.   We have to step away from the noise.  And in last week’s post I shared the first of a few ‘filters’ Christians have used for centuries to hone in on God’s voice amidst the noise: the Scriptures.

So, let’s imagine that you’ve been spending time listening and you believe you’ve heard God speak.  You take the step of filtering God’s word to you through Scripture and there doesn’t seem to be a conflict (let’s be clear…if there is a conflict between what you heard and Scripture…you should take great pause).  It’s then time to pour what you’ve heard through a second filter: wise counsel.

God’s Spirit is consistently moving us from independence to interdependence.  The New Testament makes this clear: we are members of God’s family and a part of one body.  So it’s not surprising that learning to hear God’s voice is something that happens best together [Samuel had Eli (1 Samuel 3). The disciples had a number of women (Luke 24).  The Apostles had each other (Acts 15)].

Let me put a bit more definition around what I mean by wise council.  I’m talking about someone who has experience listening for God’s voice, hearing God’s voice and obeying God’s voice.

This has to be more than just someone you look up to —  or someone you consider wise (although those are good things to consider) — we need a person who knows firsthand what it’s like wrestle with the noise and chaos of life, hear God’s voice in the midst of that chaos and then obey God’s voice so that fruit is produced.

This doesn’t mean you’re looking for someone who is a perfect example (does anyone get it right all of the time?).  What we’re looking for is a living example.  Someone who can listen well — ask good questions (because they’ve been there before and know what to ask) and who can offer, with grace, a word of encouragement or caution.

Now, before you feel overwhelmed – wondering who in the world could ever fit this bill – take a breath.  I have no doubt there are people like this in your life, and I say this with confidence because (1) we have a really good God who wants to put good people in our lives for this purpose and many more, and (2) if you’re reading this you’re likely somehow connected to the Branch — a community that has a number of living examples who would gladly walk with you as you discern.

If you are in need of wise counsel and don’t know where to turn, you should shoot one of our staff an email.  Seriously.  Don’t wait.  Do it. 🙂  We’re hear for you and we can walk with you and bring others along side of you to help in this.

We’re meant to do it together.

Next week I’ll write about the final ‘filter’ — which requires that we actually get out there and do something.

Until then…keep listening.

Last week, I wrote a post that began looking at how we can grow in our ability to discern whether or not God is speaking to us.  I suggested that it begins with stepping away from the noise — which you can read about here.

So let’s say we do that — we step away , listen and then it happens.  We hear God speak.  Or at least we think we do.  “Was that God?”, we ask, or was it just one of the countless other voices vying for our attention?

There’s not a sure-fire way to answer these questions — a formula that can guarantee that we get it 100% right.  But there are some ‘filters’ Christians have used throughout the centuries to weed out the other voices.  Like a pair of noise-canceling headphones that negate the frequencies we don’t want to hear — these steps help separate the distracting noise from the voice that brings life.

Let’s start first with the filter of Scripture.

Consider the thing you think God is telling you to do and ask, “Does Scripture tell me to do it as well?”  Sometimes the answer will be clear (God is saying: reach out to extend forgiveness to your sibling.  The Scriptures agree that forgiveness is to be extended).  Other times the connection will be more gray (which is why we have other filters).  But start here.  Start with the Scriptures.

Here’s an example: you’ve been praying about whether or not to take a new job.  While you won’t find a verse in the Bible about you taking a job at ____ company, the Bible has plenty to say about all of the things that are affected by your decision.  Here’s a few to consider.  Faith: will this new job increase or decrease your relationship with God?  Will it leave time for you to stay engaged with God personally and communally?  These are questions we often don’t think about — but Jesus tells us they are the most important questions.  Relationships: how will the people in your life be impacted by this decision?  Will this new job mean you will rarely see your children — or you’ll have no time to invest in other relationships.  If so, the Scriptures have something to say about this. What about your relationship with your spouse?  Will it be bettered or worsened by the decision you make?  Giftedness: will this new job allow you to use the gifts God has given you?  Will moving to this new company provide opportunities for you to use your intellect, passions and skills more?

Of course, with this example (and with life in general), there is all kinds of nuance, but I hope you see the larger principle at play.   When you believe you’ve heard God speak, use the filter of Scripture to help you discern.  If what you’re hearing aligns with Scripture, then move on to the next filter – which is what I’ll write more about in the next few days.

Until then…keep listening.

This Sunday, after worship, I found myself in one of those conversations I absolutely love.

It had started out simple enough: how was your week?, how’s work?, etc.  But then the friend I was talking with dropped this: “The message today was a tough one for me.”

I had just preached on John 2:1-12 – the story of Jesus revealing his glory for the first time at the wedding at Cana.  Toward the end of the message I had suggested that the servants had taken Mary’s words seriously (do whatever he tells you), and it was their obedience to the voice of Jesus that was the catalyst for transformation (water to wine, as well as increased faith in the disciples).

Back to the conversation.  “The message today was a tough one for me.”

“Oh yea?  Tell me more.”

“Well…just exactly what is Jesus telling us to do?  How do we know what he’s saying to us?  I mean…can’t we all point to people who justified their actions (sometimes their terrible actions) by saying ‘God told me to ____’?    So how do we know if it is God talking to us, or just the voice in our head?”

It’s an incredibly important question, isn’t it?  Not only do we want to know what God is saying to us when we’re faced with a major life decision (what school should I send my kids to?; should I take that job?)….but I believe that hearing God’s voice is absolutely central to being a Christian.   We can’t follow Jesus unless we’re able to hear his voice.   Which is to say — the stakes are high.  So how do we do it?  How do we hear God speak, and know it’s God speaking?

Have you ever been at a big party in a small house?  The kind where everyone is standing shoulder to shoulder.  The kind where everyone is talking — no shouting — to the person next to them.  The kind where you have to work really, really hard to hear the person you’re talking to.   I am no good at parties like this because my hearing is a little suspect (it might have to do with blaring House of Pain and other awesome 90s artists while in high school…I’m not sure), and so my only hope is to step outside (literally) to continue the conversation.  It’s only when I’m away from all of the competing voices that I’m able to hear the person I want to hear.

I think this is what it can be like to try to hear God’s voice in the midst of our loud, chaotic lives.  That’s not to say that it can’t be done — in fact, I believe as we develop the skill to hear God’s voice, we’re able to hear it in any circumstance, no matter how loud.  But if we’re just getting started — if we’re just beginning to develop the ability to distinguish God’s voice from all the others — we’re probably wise to step away from the noise.

It’s interesting that this is what Jesus did.  Jesus.

He slipped out of bed early, before anyone else, to pray.  He retreated to the wilderness — to the quiet — to the stillness.

Take a moment and look back at this last week.   Were there any times when you withdrew from the noise and the chaos?  Where were your places of ‘wilderness’ — your times of quiet?

If you can’t point to any — then start to consider where and when these might be for you in the coming week.  Where could you carve out 15 minutes to be quiet and pray?  Do you need to rise early — or step away from the office at lunch?  Find a time and schedule it in (no…seriously…put it on your calendar 🙂

In the next few days, I’ll offer some thoughts on what we can do to discern whether or not it’s God’s voice we’re hearing — but before we get to that, let’s make sure that we’ve put ourselves in a position to listen.  Let’s retreat from the noise – in simple and small ways — so that we can hone in on the one voice we most need to hear.

Here are the guides for January 6-12.

Week 2 Guide

Week 2 Guide (Printer Friendly)