Listen

Listen

Your own ears will hear him. Right behind you a voice will say, “This is the way you should go,” whether to the right or to the left.

“MOM, SOMETIMES I HEAR a voice in my head, but I don’t know if it’s God.” I looked back at my six-year-old who was staring out the window as we waited to pick up books from the library.

As she noticed my gaze, she turned back to me, brow furrowed. “What if it’s just me?” she asked. I slowly nodded; I’ve often had the same thought: How do I know if what I’m hearing is from God and not just what I want?

I started speaking, slowly measuring my words, wanting her to understand. I told her that we can always look at our thoughts and compare them to the Bible and the way that Jesus lived and the things that he taught us.

“But I don’t know everything about Jesus,” she said as she shrugged her shoulders, looking defeated. I agreed, but then went on to ask her what she knows about God and his character.

“What is something you think God would tell you to do?” I asked.

“Love other people.”

“Exactly. You know that comes from God. And what if you heard a voice that told you that God didn’t love you or care about you? Would you believe that was from God?”

“No!” she responded.

“Right.” I said. “See, you know more about hearing God’s voice than you think.” She smiled back at me, a relieved look on her face as we went on to talk about how we can begin to recognize God’s voice.

Even as adults we can struggle to know if we are hearing God’s voice, confidently trusting that we are on the right track. The longer we follow the Lord, the easier I believe it is to know and understand his voice. And anytime we aren’t sure, we can hold a thought up to Scripture to see if it rings true. God’s voice is still speaking to us; our own ears will hear him. He will tell us the way we should go—all we have to do is listen.

Lord, help us to hear your voice, to listen, and to walk in the way you tell us to go. Amen.

-Kendra

One Good Step: Spend some time listening for the voice of God, and then do what he asks of you.