(II Samuel 5: 17 – 25)
Many believers have said they don’t know how to hear from God. In order for us to succeed in our walk with God we must train our ears to hear from God and distinguish His voice from every other voice we hear. I have said before that there are at least four different voices that speak to us: the voice of self, the voice of others, the voice of the devil, and the voice of God. How can we tell the voice of God differently from every other voice? In I Samuel 3, the voice of God came to a young boy called Samuel. His ears were not trained to hear from God so instead of responding to God, he responded to the prophet Eli. It took God three times to get his attention.
1. Make it a habit to ask God to speak to you: Those who ask will receive and those who seek will find. When you go to God in prayer, you must ask God to speak to you and you must be expectant to receive. As God speaks to you time after time, you will learn by experience to recognize His voice from others. Samuel learned by experience to distinguish the voice of God from other voices. Also when you study the word of God you must ask God to speak to you. God already knows what you are going through and He knows how to address your situation through His word. It was through the study of God’s word that God revealed His mind to Daniel concerning their captivity (Dan. 9:1-2).
2. Don’t expect God to speak the same way all the time: In II Sam. 5:17-25, God gave David two different strategic instructions through which he conquered the Philistines. The first time, God asked him to pursue the Philistines. The second time, God asked him to wait for a marching sound. David followed the instruction of God and obtained double victory. God also gave Moses two different instructions for the children of Israel. The first time, God asked him to strike the rock to obtain water. The second time, God asked him to speak to the rock but he didn’t. That single act cost him his entrance into the Promised Land.
3. We need the help of The Holy Spirit: Holy Spirit helps us to differentiate the word of a man from the word of God. In Acts 16:6-9, Paul and his companions were on a missionary journey and the Holy Spirit prevented them from preaching in Asia. Then they made attempt to preach in two other cities but the Holy Spirit prevented them. God then gave Paul the vision of the man of Macedonia which was a confirmation that that’s where they needed to go.
4. God can speak to us through others: God have used and He is still using Pastors, evangelists and others to speak to us. He may be speaking to someone now through this message. We will do well to hear God through His prophets.
5. God can speak through our life’s experiences: In the book of Num. 22, God spoke to Balaam through a donkey. The prophet’s greed did not allow him to sense the presence of God around him.
6. Live by faith and not by sight: hearing from God requires us to live by faith and not by sight. Making decisions based on our own judgment can often be wrong. When God sent Prophet Samuel to the house of Jesse to anoint one of his children as king, Samuel looked at the physical appearance of Jesse’s children but God looked at their heart.
Sensitivity is a major key in recognizing the voice of God in any situation we are in. If we are not sensitive to the voice of God, we can miss the message God is trying to communicate to us. Finally, it is one thing for us to hear the voice of God speaking to us, it is another thing for us to respond to His instructions. This is another area where we miss the blessing of God or miss His will for our lives.