The God I never knew: Getting to know the Holy Spirit (9)

Listening for the voice of God (2)

Based on the teachings of Ralph Wilson

1. Heart Preparation for Listening to God (1 Samuel 3:1-10) When Samuel is a very young
child, he goes to live with Eli the priest, where he sleeps in the temple, the Tabernacle
that is pitched at Shiloh. You know the story. The boy Samuel is sleeping, when he is
awakened by the Lord calling his name: "Samuel!" He thinks Eli is calling him. This
happens twice. Finally, Eli realizes that God is calling the boy. "So Eli told Samuel, 'Go
and lie down, and if he calls you, say, "Speak, LORD, for your servant is listening."' So Samuel went and
lay down in his place. The LORD came and stood there, calling as at the other times, 'Samuel! Samuel!'
Then Samuel said, 'Speak, for your servant is listening.'" (1 Samuel 3:9-10) This is the heart needed for
one who would hear God: "Speak, LORD, for your servant is listening."
a) Humility is required.
"LORD" represents God's own name Yahweh, I Am that I Am. He comes in all his majesty to us and we
humble ourselves before him.
"Servant" is ʿebed, "servant, slave." The term is used as a polite and humble way to refer to oneself
(Genesis 33:5; 2 Kings 8:13). In the case of a king, all his subjects are considered his servants, including all
who serve him directly -- his officers, officials, and ambassadors. The expression "your servant" is
frequently used when addressing God in prayer.
"Is listening" (NIV, NRSV), "hears" (ESV), is shāmaʿ, "to hear" (the word from which Samuel's name is
formed). This is more than just acknowledging the reception of sound waves. Here it involves an effective
hearing or listening, "hear, listen to, obey." Samuel places himself in the position of a servant whose
master has called him, so he comes ready to listen to his master's command and then obediently carry it
out

b) Surrender of Control A willingness to obey is an important part of being receptive to God's voice. It is
insulting to ask God what we should do if we have no intention of doing anything other than what we want
to do. Part of a willing and submissive spirit is a willingness to obey: Even if we don't understand why, and
Even if we don't know the final result. Too often there is in us an insistence on being in control. Explain it
to me, God, and if I agree that it fits my objectives and plans for my life, then I'll be happy to obey. How
silly! In the military, the importance of following orders is drilled into both soldiers and officers. Alfred Lord
Tennyson's poem "Charge of the Light Brigade" (1854) contains the immortal words: "Theirs not to make
reply, Theirs not to reason why, Theirs but to do and die." In war, if the lowliest private demands to know
all the details of the strategy before he or she obeys orders, then the unit loses its ability to move as one.

God sees the whole picture, like a reconnaissance pilot who watches the battle from a spotter plane high
above the action, then radios down the instructions for battle. God speaks through David in Psalm 32:
"I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; I will counsel you with my eye upon you. Be
not like a horse or a mule, without understanding, which must be curbed with bit and bridle, or it will
not stay near you." (Psalm 32:8-9, ESV)
God is our instructor and teacher on what way or path to take. From his vantage point - seeing the past,
present, and future - God sees what we cannot see, and "counsels us with his eye upon us." If we will
listen, God is our wise counselor. Notice that God doesn't want to force us to obey - like some animals that
won't obey unless you put a bit and bridle on them. Rather he seeks to speak to us in counsel. As we have
faith in him, we begin to obey. He desires a more mature relationship based on trust rather than force. If
we fight him, we can't serve him.

c) We'll Only Know When We're Willing to Trust There's a sense that only when we do obey what God
shows us will we find out what he is planning to do through us. When we resist, we'll never know. When
faced with his enemies' unbelief, Jesus said: "If anyone chooses to do God's will, he will find out whether
my teaching comes from God or whether I speak on my own." (John 7:17) As an old folk proverb puts it,
"The proof of the pudding is in the eating." You'll never know what God is doing unless you obey. Even
then you may not know how your small act of obedience fits into his larger plan. But occasionally you'll be
able to see the fruit, and can rejoice. I only wonder what other things I could have rejoiced about if I had
listened and obeyed always.

2. Discerning God's Voice You're aware, of course, that there are many voices floating around our heads
(Ephesians 2:1-3; 1 John 2:15-17):

● God's voice -- the real thing.

● The World -- voices of others, peer pressure, worldly standards of success, etc.
● The Flesh -- our own desires and thoughts, many of which are selfish.
● The Devil -- demonic temptation and misdirection from Satan and his forces.
● The Conscience -- our moral sense of right and wrong that we obtain from our upbringing.
Sometimes we are hindered by a skewed sense of justice or righteousness -- perhaps an extreme
legalism, or an insensitivity to certain sins. Our conscience is strongly influenced by the culture we
grow up in. However, the conscience can be educated by the Word of God as we seek his way.
How do we discern the difference between these? Frankly, it's a learning process, and any such process
involves mistakes. That's why being part of a caring, supportive Christian community is valuable in this.
The Holy Spirit helps us to learn and discern, first, through "the renewing of your mind." "Do not conform
any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will
be able to test and approve what God's will is -- his good, pleasing and perfect will." (Romans 12:2) This
renewing process is part of the transforming work of the Holy Spirit. But to be able to discern God's voice
there are some things we must do to cooperate with the Spirit.
1. Spend time with God regularly. Again, if you haven't already, develop a meaningful Quiet Time day by
day. (See Appendix 3. Deepening Your Quiet Time with God). Include elements of praise, confession,
intercession, listening, and Scripture reading. You're developing a relationship.
2. Read the Scriptures. Reading the Word of God cleanses and washes us as we read and study it
(Ephesians 5:26; John 17:17). Plus, the Scriptures help us understand God's viewpoint so we won't be
swayed by counterfeit voices. Including scripture reading in your Quiet Time is vital.
3. Confess and repent of any known sin. Sin has a way of blinding us, creating callouses on our hearts, and
hindering our prayers (1 Peter 3:7). Walking in the light and confessing any sin as it occurs (1 John 1:7-9) is
the safest way of seeking to hear God's voice.
4. Recognize and surrender your desires. We humans are able to rationalize almost anything. To prevent
us from stamping our own desires with the imprimatur of "God's voice," we must take time to recognize
what we want and then surrender that to God. Wanting things is natural, but what we want isn't always
God -- though sometimes it is. Sometimes God molds the desires of our hearts (Psalm 37:4). So as we're
seeking to discern God's voice and will, it's valuable to recognize what our desires are. Then give them to
God in prayer, as Jesus did in the Garden of Gethsemane: "Yet not what I will, but what you will" (Mark
14:36b).
5. Seek counsel if you're not sure. Because you're just learning to discern God's voice, it's good to ask a
spiritual brother or sister if what you heard sounds like God. Just be careful that the person you ask
believes in God speaking to people today!
Then pray Samuel's prayer: Speak, Lord, for your servant is listening." The Holy Spirit desires to
communicate God's thoughts and mind to your heart. What a wonderful gift -- the gift of a growing
relationship with God!

3. Deepening Your Quiet Time with God We don't want to just learn about the Holy Spirit. We want to
encounter Him personally! The way we do that is to spend time with Him each day. As a way of patterning yourself
after Jesus, who sought the Father early and often, set aside for yourself a regular Quiet Time to spend with God.
You may already be doing this. If so, great. But even if you already do this, it's time to "up your game," to renew this
time so it is most meaningful. Set aside at least five to ten minutes a day -- or more, depending on your schedule --
preferably in the morning when you have your whole day ahead of you.

Your Quiet Time is a time to touch base with your Friend and daily renew your relationship with him through the
Spirit. It is also a discipline that serious Christians set up in their lives -- whether they feel like it or not. Sometimes
you'll be sluggish and not very spiritually in tune. Have your Quiet Time anyway; that's when you need it the most.
Sometimes your Quiet Time may seem like just going through the motions. Do it anyway. Sometimes God meets
you wonderfully in your Quiet Time. Rejoice!

Here's a simple guideline for a Quiet Time (if you need one…)

1. Greeting. "Good morning, Father," is the way I often begin.

2. Praise. The Psalmist encourages us: "Worship the LORD with gladness; come into his presence with singing
(Psalm 100:2 ). Offer verbal praise: "Lord, I come before you with thanksgiving and praise this morning."
Perhaps sing a praise chorus.
3. Scripture. Ask God to open his Word to you. Then read a portion of Scripture, not just a verse from a
devotional guide. But read systematically. You might begin with the Gospel of Mark or the Gospel of John
and read a chapter a day. Each day, pick up from where you left off the day before. I try to read a chapter
from the Old Testament, a Psalm, and a chapter from the New Testament each day. There's no right or
wrong way here. However, whatever your practice is, stick with it -- and don't coddle yourself! Over time,
this regularity makes you acquainted with the whole Word of God. This helps you know the lines along
which God is thinking, his values, and what pleases him. Then as the Spirit begins to speak to or prompt you,
you'll be able to discern whether it is God or not.
4. Prayer. There's an acronym ACTS -- Adoration, Confession, Thanksgiving, Supplication -- that is a useful
guide. I confess my sins to God, and ask him to cleanse me (1 John 1:9). Then I bring before the Lord each of
the people close to me and ask God to help them. Sometimes as I'm praying for someone, God will prompt
me with some way I can minister to him or her.
5. Listening. The Spirit may speak to you as you are quiet before God.
6. Take notes. Some people call this "journalling." It doesn't have to be formal, but be prepared to write down
what God seems to be showing you.

Sometimes our pattern for Quiet Times seems to grow stale. Then mix it up, perhaps reading a devotional book
along with scripture and prayer. Perhaps spending more time singing. At least for a while. People who have a
regular Quiet Time are the ones who grow as disciples. Some see spiritual disciplines such as a Quiet Times as a way
of putting up all the sails to catch the slightest breeze of the Spirit's whisperings.

Prayer
Father, teach us to discern the Spirit's voice. We really want to know you and know you deeply. And hear
your thoughts, your heart, and your leading for our lives and ministries. Quiet our minds before you. Open
up our hearts to hear you. We seek you. In Jesus' name, we pray. Amen.
DISCUSSION QUESTIONS

1. Last session, we were encouraged to ask the question, “Where have you seen God lately” during the
week to help us become more sensitive to the promptings /visitations of God’s presence. How did you get
on?
 2. Samuel is used as a role model of how to cultivate a life whereby he could hear the voice of God which
included several elements as follows:
a) Humility. What is humility and why is it so important in hearing from God?
b) Willingness to obey. Why is obedience foundational here? Why is obedience so challenging?
c) A trusting spirit . What are the challenges of learning to trust especially when we don’t
understand God’s ways?

3. We all have many voices floating around in our heads. Which ones can you identify and which are
dominant for you at this stage of your life?

4. How can we learn to discern which voice is which more effectively? What help is available?

5. Wilson suggests there are things we need to do to help the process as follows: Consider why each is
important:

a) Spend time with God

b) Read the Bible consistently
c) Deal with any sin we are aware of
d) Surrender known desires
e) Ask the help of others where needed

6. How would you describe your quiet time with God (if you have one) at this stage of your life. Do you use
any of the things suggested? Or are there any you might want to try?