Can you hear me?

I love my kids. Let’s just get that on the table. My two boys are bright lights in my life. That said, sometimes as a parent I have moments of frustration. Perhaps one (that I think most parents experience) is when I call to my kids and it’s like it bounces off a brick wall. Has anyone else ever had that experience?

Learning to hear the voice of our parents is both natural and challenging. From the womb we are learning the voice of our parents. Yet somehow as we grow, we can quickly develop the condition known as “selective hearing.” My mom used to call it that, when her kids could somehow hear music, certain words like “outside” or “movie” etc, but when it came to “can you please do [blank]” suddenly, their hearing wasn’t so good.

Do we ever do that with our heavenly Father? Learning to hear God’s voice is more of a challenge, I think. Certainly, He speaks to every one of His children. Consider John 10:27: “My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me.” Clearly God does speak. Clearly se can hear His voice! The challenge is listening. How do we learn to listen so that hearing God is less selective, and more comprehensive?

Jesus also told us in John 15: “Remain in me, as I also remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me.” (John 15:4, NIV.)

Remaining in Jesus looks like choosing to build a relationship with our God. Trust me, God wants that relationship with you! To build it though we must invest time. As we spend time in the Word, and then listening to the voice of God’s Spirit, we will find that our ability to hear will increase.

It also requires trust and discernment. The Word calls us to test the spirits (1 John 4:1). How do we do this? Firstly, through the Word. If you hear something that doesn’t line up with the Bible, it’s not from God. Secondly, ask for confirmation! There are a variety of ways confirmation comes, but a great way to start is to ask God to also speak to your spouse (if it’s a decision you’re making) or perhaps through circumstances. We must also choose to trust God. If we cannot trust Him when He says, “I love you,” or “I’m pleased with you,” it will also be hard to trust His plans and His direction. (Oof, now I’m feeling conviction!).

Be encouraged this summer to listen to the voice of God speaking to you. He loves you dearly, and He wants to have an ever-deepening relationship with you. Be encouraged to ask God to reveal more of Himself to you and speak to you (Matt 7:7). Then invest into your relationship with Him and grow!