Just a Nugget

Hearing God

By Jan Matthews, Founder

COVENANT WOMAN MINISTRIES

Do you remember when the Spirit of God first spoke to you? Do you recall your heart strings being tugged?

I remember exactly where I was and what I was doing the first time God spoke to me. I was about 5 years old and was burying an old spoon I had stolen from my little friend. We’d made mud pies together and I had coveted that spoon for a long time! As I dug in the dirt in my front yard under the bushes, I could sense “Someone” hovering over me, watching. I felt a sense of guilt. But I kept burying that spoon! And no, I didn’t realize it was God tugging at my heart that day, and I didn’t respond to the conviction. I continued in my folly. But I had become “sin conscious.”

God speaks to, or calls people in different ways, and how He speaks seems to be based on the individual’s perception or ability to “hear” the voice of the Lord. For instance, He talked to Moses through a burning bush, but as their relationship developed, Exodus 33:11 says He spoke “face to face” with him as with a friend.

Now the primary ways God speaks to us is through the Scripture, the preached Word, conviction, and His “still small voice” (1 Kings 19:12). He also speaks in various other ways, such as prophecy, dreams, visions, and even an audible voice sometimes – which is rare. The truth is, God is so anxious to communicate with man that He’ll talk through a donkey, if necessary! But that is certainly not God’s best.

Remember the story of when the Lord kept calling Samuel? Samuel would run to Eli the priest, and finally Eli told him to say, “Speak Lord, for thy servant heareth.” 1 Samuel 3:7 says, “Now Samuel did not yet know the LORD, neither was the word of the LORD yet revealed unto him.”

Has the voice of the Lord been revealed to you? Have you heard Him calling your name lately? Have you felt His heart tugs? God does know how to make us to hear Him. And you need to develop “an ear” to hear the Lord so you can promptly obey. You can become as sensitive to the voice of the Lord and how He speaks to you as you can to your child’s cry, your spouse’s voice, or even your dog’s bark! That’s right, you can know your God as well as you know your own family – or better!

Learning to hear the voice of the Lord is the most valuable asset one can have in the Christian walk. And it takes practice. God begins tugging at our heart and calling our name even as children. The more we respond and obey, the clearer His voice becomes to us. But while we’re still learning, we may rest assured that He does know how to get our attention – one way or the other. The Apostle Paul must have felt the Lord tugging at his heart for a long time before God had to tap on his shoulder (or trip his horse) to get his attention! But Paul finally “got it” when he was thrown off his horse and blinded!

Jan Matthews, Founder & Executive Director

COVENANT WOMAN MINISTRIES