I love listening to God. His voice is so calming, so comforting, so encouraging, so motivating, so surprising. He is quiet, but then, all of a sudden, He speaks.

God is always surprising me with little things He says. They are usually short and sweet and come out of the blue, but when He speaks, the world is made right. He can solve what seem to me like giant problems in two seconds or heal my heartbreak in three words. But, He doesn’t just solve problems, He gives me advice when I need it, and speaks love to my heart when I can’t feel it. He even shares little details with me about the beauty of His plans for the future and sparks of humor to brighten my day.

The most beautiful thing is that no matter how our life changes or how busy we are, as long as we take time to listen, He speaks.

His desire to interact with us isn’t limited to a select few, or to those of us who are “holier” than everyone else. He desperately wants a relationship with ALL of us. We just have to be open to it!

My sheep listen to my voice; I know them and they follow me. – John 10:27

What listening to God ISN’T

Sometimes the best way to see what something is, we need to look at what it is NOT.

We say someone “doesn’t listen” when we feel they didn’t care what we had to say or when we feel purposefully ignored, misunderstood or misconstrued. We feel our message is rejected also when we are only “selectively” listened to (when someone chooses only to respond to the parts of what we said that they liked or disliked and reject the rest).

This kind of non-existent or “selective” listening can happen to the best of us – especially with God.

Why we don’t listen to God

Oblivious that God even wants to speak to us, or is trying to speak to us – in which case, I promise He is
Scared or unwilling to hear what He might say – In which case it might be a good idea to do some soul searching as to why you are reluctant. (Read also: Does God want me to be happy?)
Lack of knowing how to listen to God – In which case, you’re in luck. Read on 🙂
Thinking that hearing and listening are the same thing – Creating the spirit of interior and exterior silence and presence are necessary to hear the whisper of God but it is an entirely different thing to listen to him.

Dispositions of good listeners

Closeness – When we are close to the Lord we will recognize His voice. Christ says “My sheep hear my voice. I know them and they know me” (John 10:27). Are we close enough to Him to truly recognize his voice? To distinguish His stillness from the chaos of the world? (Also, see Presence)
Openness – The biggest part of learning how to listen to God is recognizing that when we talk to Him and He talks to us, we are having a conversation with a Being outside of ourselves. We cannot control God, no matter how hard we try. Sometimes tend to we think of God as the “voice inside our heads” and if that voice is inside my head than somehow I must be able to control it, but not so! This means that to truly listen we have to be open to hearing something we don’t expect or necessarily even like. We must seek His voice and desire to hear Him.
Humility – recognize that you aren’t always completely right about everything and that God might actually have a valid point worth listening to. After all, He alone knows how happy His plan will make you.
Trust – Trust His advice and Act on it. Allow yourself to respond to His suggestions (the ideas you think you came up with while praying). Change whatever stagnant prayer habits you may have. (Read also, How to Do God’s Will Even When you have no Idea what It Is)

Listening to God – Practical Steps

There are many ways practical ways to hear God speak. For most people, God speaks through a plethora of sources that change depending on the moment and the circumstance. Most likely, Each person will find that God speaks to them through one or two particular methods more than others. It is up to you to find out which methods God uses most with you.

The following is a list of some of the most common methods He uses to speak to us. Take this list and see if you can figure out a couple ways in which He tries to communicate with you!

1 – Silence

both Exterior and Interior (Also, see Presence). This entails quieting our hearts as well as our surroundings in an effort to allow God to speak to us more closely. For more actionable tips on how to cultivate this, see my post on “Cultivating a Love of Quiet”

2 – The Scriptures

The scriptures teach us who God is, breaking Him down as simply as God could possibly be broken down, into the different persons of the Blessed Trinity, plus they give explicit instructions on how to become more like Christ and how to hear Him speak.

If you have tried and failed to read the scriptures before, as most of us have, don’t try the same methods you’ve always used, rather, try new ones, such as:

Jeff Cavins’ Great Adventure series.
Use a Study Bible that includes questions to help you reflect on the meaning of different passages (there are even ones out there with reflections particularly written for men, women, students, etc).
Focus on reflecting daily on bite sized passages of the Bible. Catholics are really good at this (despite misconceptions). Did you know that if you reflected on the daily Catholic Mass readings for three years (the Catholic Missal is on a three year cycle) you would have read the entire Bible? Most Catholics don’t even know that! Also, if you are in tune with the Daily Readings the different seasons of the religious year (Like Christmas, Holy Week and Easter) really start to come alive. Other good resources are the Laudate App (free and available on Iphone, Android and Kindle systems) or the Magnificat.

3 – Books

Have you ever read a book that “stirred your soul”? If you have, you will know what I am talking about. Those are the books you want to write in, carry around, sleep with, and reread on a regular basis.

There are so many books out there that it would be impossible to read them all. This is why you also have to be discerning when you choose which books to read. Only you know where you are struggling most in your life.

Pray – Take your needs to prayer, maybe journal a bit about what you most struggle with at this moment in your life
Research – which book would suit your needs best at this time? Be open and honest with yourself. Don’t always choose titles that you know you are comfortable with. Those kinds of books, while they may be good, will essentially be a waste of time. Instead choose books that will encourage and challenge you. Choose books by authors or publishers you trust.
Find multiple options – ask God, and/or other adviser whom you trust what they recommend and, only then, choose the one that speaks to you.

4 – Music

Music is a tool that speaks to our hearts. Melody puts emotion and meaning to ideas that words cannot express alone. Our Christian radio station in my area always talks about “that right-song, right-time effect”. I love this because it is so true. So often we can be feeling down and the only thing with the power to bring us up again is the joy and hope that come from hearing a positive song that connects with us and re-centers us on what really matters.

He can speak love to us through songs. He encourages us and motivates us by the words He inspired others to write. Music is so powerful for giving us hope in our difficult moments and strength in our weakness. Do not discount the power of Godly music in your life.

Switchfoot – Your Love is a Song
Click to listen!

5 – Other people

Obvious sources – He speaks through the selfless advice of parents and/or other authority figures in your life. His voice is often very audible thorough through spiritual advisers, or your pastor, priest, or deacon (when they are close to God). Lastly, also, we can pretty much depend on hearing from Him through the experts we love and respect who have radio programs or travel around giving talks and conferences.
Less obvious sources – A random, kind stranger at the grocery store who offers you a word of encouragement. A friend complaining about his/her mistakes (encourages us not to make similar ones). Very often too our children also are a source of God speaking to us. Their innocence often gives them a very straightforward relationship with God that is not clouded by adult complications. Because of this it is worth listening respectfully to what they have to say, no matter their age.

Dilemma? – Certainly this doesn’t mean we are supposed to listen to everything everyone else says all the time, right? Correct. It is really only His voice speaking when the person we hear it from doesn’t have a selfish reason for saying it. If there is an ulterior motive behind what was said, then, most often, it probably wasn’t inspired by God.

Note: This is why we too must be careful when trying to “give advice” to others. If we are trying to influence them in some way so that we “look good” or receive some benefit from them following our advice, then it is likely that we are not acting as an instrument for God’s voice but rather for our own. We need to be sure that our communication is always pure and loving and heed that which is communicated out love.

6 – PEACE in Situations and Circumstances

In this category may fall examples of “hearing Him” tell you how you should choose your career or hobbies. You may think you are doing something good, such as a particular job, hobby, ministry or volunteer effort but that task might be taking time away from other things that you know you should be dedicating yourself to, such as, your family or God. (See Martha and Mary test)

Certain activities eating up your time might be forcing you to compromise your morals or the silence you need to cultivate your relationship with God. These are most likely signs that you should reconsider your dedication to whatever is keeping you from your true calling.

Imagine trying to sing or dance to a particular beat while a completely different one is playing in the background. It is impossible to find peace this way, even if we claim to love the activity that is distracting us from who we are called to be.

Don’t be afraid to put all your attention and your focus 100% on Him.

It is only when we are undivided that we find unshakable peace.

[tweetshare tweet=”It is only when we are undivided that we find unshakable peace. ” username=”CarolynMPereira”]

7 – Writing

God can use your prayer journal to speak to you. Do not discount the power of this tool!! (Read: Using a Prayer Journal to Listen to God)

The Noise of the World

The opposite of all seven of these things is exactly what causes the noise in our lives that drown out the voice of God.

Our FEAR of silence makes it hard to hear the whisper of God in the quiet of our hearts.
Ignorance of the Scriptures – As was famously said, “Ignorance of Scripture is ignorance of Christ“. How can we get to know Him in His humanity and learn to recognize His voice without it?
Adding to the noise – Obnoxious, inappropriate or negative music and literature fill our soul with confusion, doubt, worry, and lack of time for what is greater.
Unhealthy Relationships – If we spend time around unhealthy groups of friends, undesirable situations, or other bad influences we will find ourselves compromising what we know is right more often than we would like.
Keeping ourselves too busy to hear God
Being closed to what He might want to say to you
Being closed to how He might want to speak to you

In short, in order to hear God best, don’t make Him compete against SO much noise! Without doubt, eliminating as much of the noise as possible is the best way to be able to consistently hear Him.

God never contradicts Himself

This can be a tip to help us discern whether what we are “hearing” is truly coming from God. He would never tell you something today when yesterday He told you something different or vice-versa. God is constant and, as He knows all things, does not have any reason to ever “change His mind”. If two pieces of advice, or things you have read or thought you “heard” conflict, be sure to take time out with God and/or people you trust help you ask for discernment between the two. It might also be helpful to seek confirmation in books, godly music, or circumstances of daily life to help you make the decision of which to follow.

When I finally decided to marry my husband after over two years of inner turmoil and overwhelming conflicting advice from friends, parents and spiritual advisors, my decision was based on reading the book Seven Levels of Intimacy by Matthew Kelly and the song “How He Loves” by David Crowder Band. I’ve never looked back and would do it all over again in a heartbeat! Only you can know how God speaks to you. All you have to do is be quiet, open, and seek Him out to find it!