It’s frustrating and I’ve been there – you pray for an answer and you feel like all you hear back is loneliness and silence. Or, you sit still and wait for some huge revelation.

It’s easy when we feel like we don’t/can’t hear God’s voice to simply stop listening. It’s a frustrating topic for many believers that want to encounter the love of the Father, to experience all the goodness He promises. 

I prayed for Truth to write to those that may also feel stuck in the lie that they, “can’t hear God.”

One of the most practical stories in Scripture is when Moses encounters God and His voice through a flaming bush. (Exodus 3)

“Now Moses was tending the flock of Jethro, his father-in-law, and he led the flock to the far side of the wilderness and came to Horeb, the mountain of God.”

Moses led. He led others to the literal mountain of God. And in addition, went into the quietness of the wilderness – not the busy streets of the city or the crowds of the public. Are you leading others (or even yourself) to the mountain of God? Be intentional with your direction. When you set your direction towards Him, you’ll see Him and hear Him more clearly than you ever have before only because you’re making a decision with your direction. 

“There the angel of the Lord appeared to him in flames of fire from within a bush. Moses saw that though the bush was on fire, it did not burn up.”

The Lord is always appearing to us; it’s our choice whether we want to look and find Him. When Moses saw something miraculous and extraordinary, he didn’t just stand there, he didn’t doubt it, he didn’t turn to his phone or his friend – instead…

“Moses thought, ‘I will go over and see this strange sight—why the bush does not burn up.'”

Moses approached. Are you approaching what you see to be good or what you see the Lord doing?

“When the Lord saw that he had gone over to look, God called to him from within the bush, “Moses! Moses!”

And Moses said, ‘Here I am.’”

Moses encountered the Lord and he knew it because he was seeking Him the entire time by aiming his direction toward the Mountain of God. When the Lord spoke to him, Moses responded. Are you responding to what the Lord says to you? Are you actions and words a response?

I can guarantee you this: God is craving to be heard by you and to hear you. Friends, don’t fall into the temptation to trust the enemy’s lie that you won’t/can’t hear from the Lord and what He has to say to you. The enemy thrives on acting as a boundary, or a wall, between you and the Lord’s message for you.

This world is complicated: it has so many distractions to throw at us to catch, so many lies and truths to filter through, so many people and things to listen to and then we feel like we have to rank the priority in which order we should listen to them. If I’m honest with ya, many times my priority of listening to what He has to say falls short and falls on my list of to-dos.

There’s no “method” to hearing the Lord’s voice but here are some practical actions we as believers are not only encouraged but called to take, daily:

1. Set aside time to spend with the Father. Set aside the distractions, the phone, even the music if you see it as a hinderance. 

2. Pray and set up this time with an invitation. 

3. Listen to everything that he has to say to you. Ask Him, “who do You say I am” and/or “what do you have for me?” Our brains have been created so intriguingly. The encouraging and kind words that are put on our hearts and minds, the ones that we hear clearly, that’s no “happenstance.” That’s real and comes from the Creator. 

When I asked these questions for myself I got “victor, daughter, beloved, creation” and “goodness.” This isn’t random. This isn’t fraud. 

I encourage you to write these words down as a testimony to a season or trial you may have later – these words act as the greatest reference in another time of need to hear truth. Because, the greatest sin of a blessing is forgetfulness. 

If you look through the rest of Scripture, God’s presence is manifested through nature over and over and over again – so, that’s one place to look. He uses clouds to speak to us (Exodus 13:21 ), fire and smoke (Judges 13:20), a rainbow (Ezekiel 1:28), thunder and lightning (Exodus 19:16) and wind (Job 28:1). 

Ask yourself:

1. Where do I see God most?

2. Am I alert and seeking Him?

3. If He shows himself in an incredible way, do I doubt it or do I approach Him?

4. Am I constantly in a seeking posture to see and hear Him?

Y’all, Moses didn’t stumble upon God, he sought Him out and when he saw God, he responded. Be like Moses. 

Jesus said it Himself: “Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you.” Matthew 7:7