Do you struggle to distinguish the voice of God from all the other “voices” in your head? Now — don’t hear what I’m not saying — I’m not accusing you of “hearing voices” or admitting the same of myself. But, you know what I mean … that constant internal nagging that I “shoulda, coulda, wish I woulda!” All the stuff we said (and spend the rest of the day wishing we wouldn’t have) the stuff we did (and hope no one ever reminds us of) or the stuff we failed to do (and fear that maybe God is quietly mad at us about it.) You know… that stuff!

Or maybe you’re just really good at letting go of mistakes and forging ahead. Okay, so do you ever find yourself mentally finishing an argument? Completing a conversation the way you wish you would have said it the first time? I think I’ve made my point. Our poor brains — they can be such noisy places!

So back to my original question, how can you “hear” the voice of God in the midst of all the other voices that are so often swirling around in your noodle?

Well, I wish I had some magic formula, or three easy steps. Sorry to disappoint, but I don’t. What I do have, however, is a guiding principle that has been very helpful to me lately, and I’d like to share with you.

So I’ve been asking the Lord recently about hearing His voice. You know the passage from John 10 where Jesus calls Himself the “Good Shepherd” and assures us that His sheep will hear His voice? Well… I guess I’m wanting that to be a little more frequent for me. After all, life can be confusing and complicated and I really NEED to hear from my Father!

Anyway, this morning in my time alone with the Lord, I think I heard it — His voice. The phrase that paraded across the screen of my minds was, “It’s going to happen early in the morning.” Really, God? You’re letting me know that I’ll be hearing from you early in the morning? That’s funny. Not the kind of funny that actually makes you laugh, but the kind that makes you groan.

You see, I’m not good at mornings. I function because life demands it, but I’m often a stumbling, robotic version of myself until about 9 AM. And the snooze button and I cheat Sarah out of more quiet morning times with God than I would like to admit. The truth is, there’s just a significant pile of shame and failure baggage that pops up when I hear the words, “Early morning” and “God” together in the same sentence. So much so that I would tend to think that that thought about early mornings wasn’t from Him — that it was from my own fear and shame and boot-straps mentality.

Except that it felt good.

This morning I “heard” it, but I didn’t wince. The thought registered, but it did so as an invitation instead of a condemnation. Even more than an invitation, it felt like a gift — a sneak peek into where He’s taking me.

When I think my own thoughts about this topic, I feel stressed.
When I heard Him say it, it felt possible.

Of course, I’m not saying that everything that “feels good” is from God. Goodness, but that would be a dangerous doctrine! There is a kind of “feeling good” that pleases the flesh, like hitting the snooze button for the third time. That feels good too, but in a very different sort of way. Ask me how I know! In fact, there’s SO MUCH more to say about hearing from God. For instance, what you “hear” cannot contradict His written Word. And if it’s about a decision you’re making, it usually needs to be confirmed by wise counsel, and so many other important points than what I’m covering in this little blog post.

But this is the treasure that He’s been showing me lately and I hope it helps you, too. When the notion comes from the heart of God, it doesn’t feel like accusation, regret, or condemnation. (Those are the Enemy’s signature, by the way.) Even if it’s a hard thing to hear, when it comes from Him, it doesn’t feel like a harsh mandate. It feels like a spring morning after a long winter, like a cool breeze on a hot day, like a sweet promise.