For some, it comes easily. Not only can they hear God speak to them, they might even hear Him speak audibly. Others can hear God for themselves, as well as for others.

Then there are those believers who make time for God, sit quietly and seek earnestly but still seem to hear nothing. Over time, they may come to believe that God speaks – just not to them.

God does speak, today as He had in the Bible. More importantly, God wants to speak to all of us, not some. He is a relational God who longs to have a relationship with us. Which meaningful relationship does not include communication?

So if God speaks, why can’t we hear?

1. Not enough time

Many of us want God to speak to us but we don’t give him enough time and space to do so.

We understand the importance of being still to know that He is God (Psalm 46:10). We know it involves some sort of waiting – “I wait for the Lord, my whole being waits, and in His word I put my hope” (Psalm 130:5). But we are fuzzy on just how long the wait needs to be.

Why wait?

Why is allowing enough time so important? If God wants to speak to us, won’t we be able to hear Him whenever we pause to listen?

The time required is really not for Him to speak but for us to attune ourselves to receive what He is saying. We are such busy beings that even if our bodies are still, the noise in our hearts and minds may still be going on. We need time to quieten our inner selves.

We are such material beings that we need time to switch from hearing with our physical ears to listening with our spiritual ones.   

How long?

How much time is enough? To begin, set aside an hour to prayerfully listen. In the quietness, ask God if He has anything He wants to tell you. It may be a while before you hear something. Persist. Once you experience a breakthrough, you will find it a little easier the next time, and the next time, and the time after that.

2. Wrong channel

Sometimes we don’t hear because we have a wrong idea of how God speaks. We are tuned in to the wrong channel, so to speak.

The Bible is full of accounts of God speaking audibly – when He spoke to Abraham, Noah, Moses, and all the prophets in the Old Testament; when Jesus was baptised (Matthew 3:16-17) and transfigured (Matthew 17:5); when He told Peter that every animal was ceremonially clean for consumption (Acts 10:13-15). It is natural to then assume that when God speaks, it would be in an audible voice.

This expectation is further fortified by testimonies of people today who do hear God’s audible voice.

The truth is that when God speaks today, it is most likely through the Holy Spirit who speaks to our spirit (Romans 8:16) which then surfaces it to our conscious mind. It is internal, soundless and spiritual. So it is not an alien, external voice. In fact, it may even sound like our own voice, which is why we need time and experience to discern His voice from our own.

His voice or mine?

The voice from our soul tends to be active, thinking, analytical and emotional. The voice of the Spirit is a silent knowingness and conviction.  It is often described as the “still small voice” that prompts and impresses but is subtle and unobtrusive. 

3. Wrong expectation

A related misconception about how God speaks is the belief that God must speak supernaturally. Prophecy, word of knowledge (supernatural knowledge about a person or situation that could not have been obtained by natural means) and word of wisdom (supernatural guidance) become associated with the way God speaks.

Through His Word

In truth, the primary way God speaks is through His Word. As 2 Timothy 3:16-17 tells us, Scripture is God’s way of transforming and moulding us to do His work. This idea is echoed in 1 Thessalonians 1:5 which states that God’s words are not mere words but are infused with His Spirit, power and conviction.

So when you read the Bible and are convicted of your sins, assured of His promises, or reminded of His character, that is God speaking to you.

Through Nature

God speaks through nature. In Romans 1:20, Paul tells us that God’s “invisible qualities” can be seen in His creation. When you see a lovely sunset, when you marvel at towering trees or are mesmerised by the intricate design of a flower petal, and know in your heart that such splendour cannot be a result of chance but the work of a Higher Being, that is God speaking to you.

4. Wrong purpose

Few other times drive us to seek God’s voice more than when we are at a crossroad in our life – which school to go to, which course to take, which job to apply for, who to marry, when to have children, how many to have, which house to buy. But those are not the only times God speaks.

Christianity is not a set of beliefs. Christianity is a love relationship with God. How terrible would it be if all communication in our relationship consists of us asking the one we love to help us make decisions and nothing more?

God wants to do more than that when He talks to us. He wants to reveal Himself. He wants to show us that we can be transformed into the likeness of Christ. He wants to talk about His love relationship with us.

Hearing Him in these areas is actually the best way to practise discerning His voice. It is far easier to hear God tell us about His character than it is to listen to Him for directions in our lives. This is because, in decision-making, we often have our own biases and emotions that need to be filtered out in order to recognise God’s voice.

If you want to hear God easily, start by asking Him: “Lord, tell me about my life, my character, my behaviour, my attitudes, my sins. Show me how I can be more like You.”

You can be certain that God will not only speak to you, He will perform a work of transformation in you, pruning away parts that are fleshly so that you can become a lovely branch grafted onto the true Vine.

This is what listening to God is all about – exercising obedience not just to His plans and purposes but to live a sanctified life.

5. Wrong attitude

Sometimes we can’t hear because we don’t want to hear. We are afraid that God will call us to a ministry out of our comfort zone, or call out areas of our life or character flaws we are not ready to confront.

When we purpose not to obey, we block God’s voice. In 1 Samuel 15:23, the Bible tells us that disobedience is akin to witchcraft and stubbornness is an iniquity. In Isaiah 59:2, we are told that our sin and state of sinfulness separate us from God and causes Him to hide His face from us.   

6. Lack of God’s Word in our hearts

The Holy Spirit often speaks to us through God’s Word. In times of distress, grief and uncertainty, God calls to mind promises and assurances from the Bible, and accounts of His character that comfort us or help us stand against the attacks and accusations of the evil one. This is how God speaks to us as well.

Jesus is a prime example of this at work. When tempted for 40 days and faced with a sneering Satan, He used God’s Word to fight the spiritual battle.

If we do not first store up God’s Word in our hearts, the Holy Spirit has little to call to mind in times of need. That is why reading and knowing the Bible is so important.  

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