Hearing His Voice
90 Devotions to Deepen Your Connection with God by Chris Tiegreen
I once heard a very prominent pastor scoff at Christians who “think they can actually hear God directly.” But isn’t it true that the entire Christian faith is based on the belief that God wants a personal relationship with His people? If so, it seems natural to ask ourselves what kind of relationship He wants. One without conversation? Surely not. That would hardly be a relationship.
No, God speaks, and His people listen. That’s what following Him is all about. Though many in the Western church insist that God doesn’t speak directly to us today—because our hearing is too subjective, or He has already said everything He has to say in the Bible—Christians in less rigidly analytical and skeptical cultures are hearing God daily and doing mighty works in the power of His Spirit, simply by following what they hear.
Yes, we can find examples of abuses and stories of people who misheard God, but there are far more testimonies of people who have heard God clearly and have borne much fruit from what they have heard.
Anyone can learn to recognize God’s voice. And God doesn’t mind the skeptics. He simply speaks to people who will listen
and believe.
What does God say to us? How does He say it? How can we know when we’ve heard Him? What can we do to hear Him better? We could spend the rest of our lives learning how to recognize God’s voice, but if we seek Him, we can be confident that He will make Himself available to us.
If we listen, He will speak. And if we believe what we have heard, He will show us even more. God always seeks to take us deeper into His will and draw us closer to Himself.
This book includes ninety devotional readings that cover many issues related to hearing God. One of every nine devotions is written as a first-person perspective from the heart of God— things I have sensed Him saying and that I believe He wants to share with those who will listen.
Sometimes people are uncomfortable with this approach, but it fits well with New Testament practice (see 1 Corinthians 14:1 and 1 Peter 4:11). God is not bothered by our efforts to express His thoughts. Each devotion ends with a brief prayer.
Some people—like me, sometimes—tend to skip over guided prayers in books, but I encourage you not to do that here. Some of the prayers may seem simple or superfluous, but there is a point to them. When we ask from God, we receive.
He responds when we express our desires to Him. If your desire is to hear God’s voice, then asking to hear Him better, no matter how basic the request, is an invaluable practice. If some of the prayers seem repetitive, that’s okay.
We’re told in Scripture to keep asking, to persist until God answers. Over the course of ninety days, He will answer—often in surprising ways.
Listening to God is a process, a journey, and an adventure. It may take time, but it’s worth the effort. He promises that those who seek Him will be rewarded with His presence and His voice.
The words of the living God are powerful and life-changing. May He bless your desire to hear Him.
