Psalm 95 is a fascinating psalm. It opens with such a beautiful call to praise and worship. But then about halfway through it takes a bit of a left turn. Verse 8 seems to interrupt this call to exalt our Great and Mighty Shepherd with the voice of the Shepherd Himself, giving a warning to the sheep under His care. He cries out to us, “Today, if you hear His voice, do not harden your hearts!” and reminds us of the failure of the people of Israel to hear Him and walk in obedience as they traveled to their land. He reminds us of how they grumbled and complained, and tested Him.
The Test
They failed to believe that the God who delivered them out of Egypt would faithfully sustain them in the wilderness and bring them safely to the land He promised to them. In their complaints, they called Him unfaithful, unloving, powerless, and ultimately unworthy of their trust. And that angered God. He had already proven Himself to them, and they rejected Him. Ultimately, He would reject them, and start fresh with the next generation. They tested God’s faithfulness but failed God’s test of their faith.
And without faith it is impossible to please him, for whoever would draw near to God must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him.
Hebrews 11:6 ESV
If You Hear His Voice
Today – if you hear Him speaking to you – if you hear His voice – He expects a response of faith. A faith that recognizes His goodness, His sufficiency, His faithfulness – a faith that shows itself through obedience.
But let me pivot away from Psalm 95 at this point because this begs a VERY important question – one that I know I’m not alone in asking.
How Do I Know That What I Am Hearing Is God’s Voice?
This is something I struggle with all the time. I often say things like “I’m struggling with the Lord” about something. But the reality is that I’m not truly struggling with the Lord. What I’m struggling with is discerning if what I am hearing is His voice or my own thoughts, my imaginings, or frankly my desire for adventure or change or even drama at times. Is what I am hearing coming from pride, or from a desire to flee frustrations?
And I’m sure I’m not alone. It probably looks different for you, you have different situations in your life than I do. You struggle with different temptations and different weaknesses. And yet you want to be obedient to the Lord, you don’t want to be hard-hearted. So how do you have the confidence that the Lord is speaking to you, so you can walk forward in faith?
Know That God Does Speak To You
I don’t know if this is a question for you, but just know for a fact that God does indeed speak -and he speaks to YOU. It is one of the awesome mysteries of our faith. The God who holds the heights and depths in His hand, who set the sun and moon in place, this great and awesome God takes a very personal interest in every one of us.
From the first page of Scripture God reveals Himself as a communicator. He is One who verbally makes His will known. When the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, He told us that His Sheep, His people, hear His voice. All the way to the very final page of Scripture, we still see Him speaking. He calls for us to come, and tells us that HE is coming soon. We see Him speaking to His people corporately, and we see Him speaking to His people personally. God is a God who speaks.
The Foundation of His Word
So how does He Speak? Well, it may seem simplistic, but the primary way He speaks is in His Word. Everything else builds on this foundation. Now, I’ve heard it argued that “God cannot be put into a box” meaning that while God does speak in His word, He won’t allow the scriptures to limit Him. And there is truth in this, but just enough truth to be poisonous. The intention behind this line of thought is that we want to believe God will say whatever we want Him to say. What is often a subconscious thought behind this reasoning is that we are unwilling to allow God to place US in the box of scripture.
Does God speak in other ways besides Scripture? Absolutely! But from the days of Moses God has commanded His words to be written down, studied, memorized, meditated on, and obeyed with all of our hearts. His inspired Word of Scripture is His clear revelation to us of who He is, how He works, What He desires, what pleases Him, and what angers HIm. And He uses His word to reveal to us the depths of our hearts, to give us instructions, conviction, hope, and encouragement. As Ephesians 2:20 says, we are
built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus himself being the cornerstone,
Ephesians 2:20 ESV
The apostles and prophets that this verse is speaking of? Well, that is a reference to scriptures – and the scriptures are centered on Jesus.
If You Want To Hear God’s Voice – Spend Time in His Word
If you truly want to hear the sure word of God, if that is a real desire of yours and not just a wish, then spending intentional time in the Word of God needs to be a priority in your life. Too often we make it something we fit in where there is time, rather than placing it first.
Get creative if you need to. We have so many resources. Listen to it. Listen to scripture being sung. Read it to your kids. Place it around your home. This isn’t meant to be a legalistic “make sure you have your quiet time every day.” Ask God to help you delight in His word, and watch what He does!
But hear me out – if you are not willing to prioritize His Word, why would you expect Him to speak to you in any other way? Without the foundation, all you have is wishy-washy feelings, thoughts, and impressions that will wash away under the storms of life. Don’t harden your hearts to the opportunities God gives you to hear His voice speaking in His Word – it is not a chore. It is life-giving. And it is foundational.
Building On The Foundation Of The Scriptures
With that foundation laid -there are other ways the Lord does speak to us. And I’m sure if we had a chance to share our stories we would hear of so many ways that the Lord has communicated with every one of us personally. But everything we hear in these different ways God uses to speak to us needs to be in line – in perfect line – with His word.
There’s an interesting verse in Isaiah that speaks to this. In context, it is speaking of the Israelites’ propensity to listen to mediums and such but there is wisdom for us as well. Isaiah says this –
To the teaching and to the testimony! If they will not speak according to this word, it is because they have no dawn.
Isaiah 8:20 ESV
In other words – if what you are hearing is not in line with the clear teaching of scripture, then you can be sure that it is not coming from the mouth of God. Whatever you think you are hearing – ask HIm to confirm it through His Word. Especially if it sounds weird. He will. And the more you know His Word, the more you will recognize when something has that “Ring of truth”.
So how does God speak to us other than through His word directly?
Through Teaching And Preaching
The Lord has given us teachers and preachers, those gifted with sharing God’s word with us for our building up, for our growth in the faith. I can tell you that there are so many times that I’m sitting in Sunday or Wednesday service just in awe because, without realizing it, my pastor is speaking directly to something going on in my life. It’s as if he’s heard my prayers and known the questions I’ve had or decisions I’m making. My jaw drops at how specific it can be!
It’s the Lord, speaking through His servant. I’ve found this is a major way that the Lord confirms His voice to me. It’s one thing for me to wrestle with “Is this me or is this you?” when it’s just in my thoughts. But when it’s repeated from the pulpit, it’s like the Lord saying “This – this is my path for you.”
Be Discerning
Let me say it again – and again and again – take it all back to the sure Word. No teacher is infallible, no preacher is inspired in the same way the Word is. They are walking in the Spirit, using their gifts. But they are not 100% perfect in everything they speak.
Make sure that what you are hearing is perfectly in line with the Word of God. If Paul, the author of half of the New Testament, commended the Bereans for taking everything he taught back to the Scriptures to see if what he was saying is true, how much more should we be discerning of what we are hearing? Notice that I’m saying discerning, but not critical. These are two very different spirits. One is a submissive spirit. The other is pride.
Through Other Believers
God doesn’t just speak from the pulpit, he speaks to us through other believers. For me that has been a rock over the last couple of years. It’s not that I put all my confidence in what others say. But when I hear a consistent theme from people that I know love the Lord and are willing to speak truth, it helps me discern the Lord’s voice from the enemy’s condemnation, or from my own thoughts.
God has designed us to live in community for a reason. We need each other. And He uses us to speak through each other. Whether it is through a gift like prophecy, or having a word of wisdom or of knowledge, or simply hearing our heart and bringing BIblical perspective – He uses the body to speak to us.
Seek out mentors, seek out Christian friends, those whom you know are in the Word, those who you recognize as speaking Biblical truth. It’s about making yourself available to people who will speak truth in love to you. And, incidentally, watch as the Lord uses YOU to speak to THEM.
Through Music
One of my favorite things that the Lord does is when I’m in the car, praying or just thinking, and suddenly my attention is drawn to the music on the radio. As I quiet my thoughts and listen, I discover that what I’m hearing is either His answer to what I’m praying or even just a song singing my prayer in words better than I could even express. It’s like just a nod from the Lord saying “I hear you,” and it’s awesome.
Have good music on. It’s a whole other topic to talk about the impact of music on our lives and in our faith, but suffice it to say, God does speak through music. The right song, the right time. For me, when He’s done this it is so deeply intimate and personal that I can’t even share the stories because it would just fall flat without all the backstory and relationship behind it. Suffice it to say – God speaks through music.
Through Circumstances
I don’t know if you’ve noticed, but as I’ve gone through this list of ways God speaks, I’m moving from a sure word to more shaky ways of hearing his voice. But God does speak and guide us through our circumstances, often in conjunction with other things. Opportunities will open up, and confirm what He has said in other ways. Or they will close off, making clear that his path is elsewhere. Don’t put too much weight on circumstances alone. But when you see things fall into place and opportunities open up that in all reality should be impossible, recognize that God is the one pulling the strings and sending either the invitation or the cancellation.
That Still, Small Voice
Outside of all these things, God will also speak directly to your heart. And with this we come full circle, right? How do we know that this voice is the Lord’s? How do we know it’s not just our imagination or wishful thinking? Take it back to Him in prayer. See how He confirms that voice through His Word, through what is said over the pulpit, what you hear from other believers, and from the way He moves things around in your life. As you grow, you will learn more and more to recognize His voice. You will recognize:
- The consistency in what you are hearing. God doesn’t waffle or change His mind or lead you on. His voice will be consistent
- The authority in what you are hearing. God tends to have the last word, and often, especially with conviction, He silences all arguments with His authority.
- His insistence. For my own issues, this has been a big thing. Even as I waffle in understanding His direction, He is consistently insisting I move forward in a single direction.
- His peace – Even hear someone say they “just know” when it’s the Lord? They have learned to recognize that settling in their spirit when they hear His voice. There are times when I just can’t settle into something. There’s nothing wrong, nothing unscriptural, just not “it.” And then I hear what is “it”. And it comes with such peace.
Encouragement – and a Challenge
I want to encourage you that God is not out to “get you” or trip you up. He is well aware of our weaknesses, and He is well-equipped to overcome our weaknesses. When your heart is seeking to be pleasing to Him, He knows how to make His will known to you. I firmly believe that if your heart is not hardened, when you are surrendered to Him and in submission to Him, He will make sure that you are walking in the paths He lays for you. I base this on Proverbs 3:5-6 – a favorite passage of mine that I lean on –
Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. 6 In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths.
Proverbs 3:5-6 ESV
He is a gracious God, He loves you, and He takes it on as His responsibility to grow you and train you in the faith. He has given you His Spirit, and He is speaking to you.
The challenge comes from the responsibility we have to Him. When we hear His voice, when we know what HE is saying, we are responsible to respond. His voice is not a suggestion, not a counsel that we add to all the other voices. And we cannot fool Him. He knows when we are still questioning and seeking compared to when we are willingly rejecting what we hear. There is no rest in walking contrary to the Lord.
If You Hear His Voice …
Do not be like the Israelites, who saw His works, but didn’t know His ways. He wants to give you rest, and His voice will teach you the paths you need to walk in. Praise Him with your lips, worship Him on your knees, and respond to His voice with faithful feet.
This post has been inspired by and corresponds with Lesson 3 of Call to Worship: An Inductive Introduction to Studying Psalms.
Are you looking for a study that will take your group deep into the Word? One that allows God’s Word to speak for itself, focusing on the text of the Bible, guiding your group through the process of transformational in-depth study? Check out Treasuring God’s Word Inductive Bible Studies! Flexible, engaging, challenging, designed for new believers and experienced students alike, with a heart for God’s Word to take center stage!
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