Listening to God’s call in our life is an act of faith when we give our free will back to the Lord and let Him lead us. The author of Hebrews gives us insight into faith. Hebrews 11:1 Faith shows the reality of what we hope for; it is the evidence of things we cannot see. [1] As we listen to God’s calling and obey Him, doors open in our lives that we could never open or know about. This is the Lord’s fantastic journey for His children who follow Him.
When God called Abram, he had to make significant changes, which required trusting God to lead him into the unknown. Genesis 12:1The Lord had said to Abram, “Leave your native country, your relatives, and your father’s family, and go to the land that I will show you.[2] When we trust God and walk into submission to Him, we grow in faith. We trust Him to guide our steps.
Is the Lord calling you today? He may call you to faith or to grow more in faith as you step into the unknown. Abram’s life changed as He followed the Lord. Our lives will also change and become an adventure as we continue listening to God’s call.
What Does God’s Voice Sound Like?
What did God’s voice sound like when He spoke to? Scripture doesn’t say. While the Lord’s voice may be thundering, as described in Revelation 4:1, this is not the norm. His voice is often like a whisper to our hearts, which you can only hear if you listen intently and are near the speaker.
How can we hear God’s voice? We must spend time with Him and develop a relationship to hear Him. Elijah illustrates God’s voice as a whisper in 1 Kings 19:12, where he stood on a mountain waiting for the Lord to speak to him.
As Elijah and Abram listened to God’s voice, they received guidance on what the Lord wanted them to do. As we listen to the Lord, He will also guide and direct us. As we quiet our hearts, expect the Lord to speak to you. The Lord can speak through His Spirit, His word, dreams, or other ways He chooses.
Listening to God’s Voice Usually Means Change
As you listen to God’s voice, expect the Lord to lead you out of your comfort zone. He may ask you to do something that you need His strength. For example, if you have an anger problem toward someone, the Holy Spirit may gently prompt you to forgive the person you are upset with. As we slow down and listen to the voice of the Holy Spirit, He directs in a different direction than we would have taken otherwise.
The Holy Spirit may prompt you to encourage someone, tell them about Jesus, or pray for them. When Jesus came down to earth in the form of a baby, He had to leave His heavenly home to rescue us from our sins. As we look at the life of Jesus, He is a model of surrendering to the will of the Father. If Jesus had to surrender to the Father to fulfill His mission, would we be any different? Praise the Lord that He wants to speak to us and has fantastic plans He intends to unfold if we let Him. To learn more about listening to God’s call, listen here:
https://podpoint.com/light-of-christ-church-podcast/called-to-a-promise
[1,2] Tyndale House Publishers. (2015). Holy Bible: New Living Translation. Tyndale House Publishers.