By: Tania Harris
You may believe that God speaks to us personally, but still have trouble hearing his voice – especially in three areas:
- Romantic relationships, 2. Children and 3. Money.Some people say you shouldn’teven try to hear God’s voice in these areas – and with good reason.
In all these three areas of life, we care deeply about the answers. They’re difficult to hear from God in because they’re loaded with emotion. When we come to God with our questions about that relationship or that desire to conceive, we come with our own agendas. Our ability to hear God’s voice is muddied by our desires. After all, who wants to hear; “No, this man or woman is not for you”? Who wants to know; “No, you will not have children,” or “This business decision may fail”?
Our strongly held desires or misplaced opinions get in the way of hearing God clearly.
We hear what we want to hear. We see what we want to see. And when we do, we experience the fallout of our decisions and often lose our confidence in hearing God’s voice. The combination can be a spiritual crisis that forever impacts our walk with God.
Yet the challenges of hearing God’s voice in these three areas does not mean God cannot or will not speak to us about them. After all, they constitute the most important part of our lives. And if God is by nature relational, and as such longs for intimacy, then why wouldn’t he speak to us about the things that matter most? We see this in the biblical stories. Think of Hannah who prayed for a child (1 Samuel 1:9-28) and Abraham who sent his servant out seeking a bride for his son Isaac (Genesis 24).
However, given that we can so easily get it wrong in the areas that are closest to our hearts, wisdom calls us to be careful in making claims about what God may have said. In listening to God in these areas, we must tread carefully.
4 Tips For Hearing God About the Sensitive Questions
Here’s some tips for hearing God’s voice on the most sensitive questions of our hearts:
- Recognise your weakness.We can get it wrong – particularly in these areas. As the Apostle Paul said, we don’t see clearly (1 Corinthians 13:12).
- Surrender your heart.Be prepared to hear what you don’t want to hear. A surrendered heart that is prepared to respond to the voice of the Lord in obedience and faith is without doubt the best pre-requisite for hearing God’s voice clearly in any area.
“In hearing God’s voice on heart matters, we need to test what we hear against what we want to hear.”
- Test your Spirit experiences with others.Confront those red flags and checks in your heart.
- Finally, if you find that God doesn’t speak into these areas, use common sense, do your research and apply wisdom.
If it’s a business venture, study the markets and listen to the experts. If it’s a barren womb, investigate all the medical options. If it’s a romantic relationship, go to pre-marriage courses to check your values are in alignment with your partner. Do all that you can humanly to make godly choices and then trust God with the outcome.
God deeply cares about the areas of our lives we most care about. May Holy Spirit grant you wisdom as you seek to follow Jesus.
Article supplied with thanks to God Conversations.
About the Author: Tania Harris is a pastor, speaker, author and the founder of God Conversations.
Feature image: Photo by Valentin Salja on Unsplash