The Art of Hearing!

The Art of Hearing!

I realized this morning as I was in the midst of my Bible study that I make a choice every day… even before I get out of bed!  I was writing out a personalized version concerning Piper and I of Proverbs 3:5-6 based on The Message Bible.  I hadn’t really planned out the words I was writing but found myself jotting down that: “We trust God from the bottom of our hearts; and we do not try to figure out everything on our own.  We choose instead to listen for God’s voice in everything we do, everywhere we go; for he’s the one who will keep us on track.”

It was when I got to the part about listening for God’s voice, that it dawned on me that one has to be expecting to hear that particular voice in order to receive His advice.  And that is when it hit me that the first deliberate choice I make each day is to put God first and trust in His Word for the outcome of my day!

I’m not sure when I started going to God in His Word first each and every day, but it’s been a habit of mine for as long as I can now remember.  I expect to learn something from Him and hear His voice through His Word as I verbally confess it and physically study it within the pages of my various Bibles.  Then I continue to expect to hear that voice in cooperation with His Word and Spirit throughout the various activities of that day.

Following a hunch, I looked up the definition of the word “voice” and learned that it is described as “a range of such sounds distinctive to one person.” (Dictionary.com)  That immediately made me think that I would know my wife’s voice anywhere!  She has a very distinctive pitch, enthusiasm, a unique “crackle” and comfort in her tonal qualities that I have learned to easily pick out from a crowd of other voices.  Her voice and Spirit-led reasonings still rings true and clear in my ears to this day, even though she hasn’t verbally spoken for quite some time now.

The question I ask myself from time to time is if I can hear God’s voice as well as I have come to know my wife’s?  Looking back on Piper’s and my history, I would have to say that we have a pretty good track record in recognizing His voice… not that there haven’t been some mis-ques, but overall I would say we do okay… mainly because of our daily time with Him and our continual listening for that voice!  According to Dictionary.com to “listen” means to pay attention; to heed and obey; to wait attentively for a sound.” 

In the case of hearing God’s voice, it entails an attentive listening for the familiar sound of His voice.  That familiarity takes a lot of well-spent time with Him in His Word, prayer and praise and worship… akin to the loads of time that I have enjoyed being in the presence of my wife over the last 48 years!  I know and would recognize her voice because I’ve made the point to spend a lot of time with her.  We are also very familiar with God’s voice because we not only have spent a lot of time with Him in His Word and prayer, but also through the many steps and experiences of faith we’ve taken with Him over the years.

There are many voices in our world that we have learned to simply NOT listen to!  Other’s we’ll take as counsel when they’re in line with what we believe God is telling us and still others that have such a good track record with us that we’ll seek out and listen attentively to.

I believe that it is up to each of us personally, to learn the validity of all the voices that speak to us.  For me, that process starts and ends with having an intimate knowing of God and His Word.  It is through that regular quality time spent with Him where we develop the ability to pick out His voice from all the others trying to gain an in-road with us.

So what choice are you needing to make when it comes to differentiating the voices speaking to you?  For me and my wife it has always been about:

1)    Putting Him First

2)    Spending regular quality time alone with Him, and then

3)    EXPECTING to hear and obey His voice

I never go anywhere without having an attentive ear set to His frequency!  How about you?

Have a great rest of the week, and as you do, keep asking yourself… “Whose VOICE am I expecting to HEAR today?”