One of the more popular game shows of my childhood is “Name that Tune.” In that show, the contestants compete against each other in naming a song by listening to the tune with the least notes possible. Imagine the joy of the contestants as they guess the song with minimal musical notes played.
As followers of Jesus, we should be able to discern His voice from the many voices around us. And in this noisy generation we belong to, it would be such a challenge.
“My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me.” John 10:27
It is crucial for us to know God’s voice, because it will be our guide throughout our life. When we know His voice, we can better follow Him, we will have hope amidst inevitable challenges. Moreover, we can make God-honoring choices that will bless our families.
“When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all the truth, for he will not speak on his own authority, but whatever he hears he will speak, and he will declare to you the things that are to come.” John 16:13
Moreover, when we know God’s voice, we can be protected from the enemy’s schemes. The enemy tries to scare us, distract us, and keep us from following Jesus. It even uses other people and circumstances to keep us from being in God’s will and remain insensitive to sin and its ill effects on our lives and others’. Knowing God’s voice will convict us from sinning and encourage us to step away from a sinful lifestyle and live a life of worship.
“And though the Lord gives you the bread of adversity and the water of affliction, yet your Teacher will not hide himself anymore, but your eyes shall see your Teacher. And your ears shall hear a word behind you, saying, “This is the way, walk in it,” when you turn to the right or when you turn to the left.” Isaiah 30:20-21
So how do we know God’s voice? The best way is to listen to Him all the time. Just like a tune we get familiar with because we keep on listening to it, we will somehow know God’s voice when we intentionally and consistently listen to what He has to say.
How do we practically do that? The simple answer is by growing our faith. We can do that by reading and meditating on His words daily, and by studying it alongside other believers. We also get to grow our faith by worshipping every Sunday and intently listening to sermons.
“Like newborn infants, long for the pure spiritual milk, that by it you may grow up into salvation— if indeed you have tasted that the Lord is good” 1 Peter 2:2-3
When we know God’s words, we will get to know His character more. We will know His promises, which we can hold on to when times get tough. We will have an attitude of gratitude, and not be in despair amidst life troubles that we will inevitably encounter in our lifetime. When we know God’s voice, we will feel His guiding presence in our lives.
“Behold I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and dine with him and he with Me.” Revelations 3:20
So when we are faced with life-changing decisions to make, and dilemmas we have to decide on, wouldn’t it be nice to know which direction to take? Wouldn’t it be nice to have the confidence of knowing God’s character and consistency? Wouldn’t it be best to know that He will never contradict Himself and that He only wants what is best for us?
Only when we have a close relationship with Him will we be able to discern that voice, even from afar, even amidst the chaos.
“You will seek Me and find Me when you seek Me with all your heart.” Jeremiah 29:13
Thank you for reading through our devotional today. I invite you to ponder on Psalm 119:1-12 to dig deeper on today’s topic.
Reflection Question: Are you listening long enough to God that you will be able to discern His voice?
Conversation with the Lord: Lord Jesus Christ, thank you for relentlessly calling on me to follow and abide in You. Give me the grace to continue seeking you, and building a relationship with you so that even amidst the chaos and the crossroads, I would still know what to do and how to remain abiding in you. Amen.
