Prayer to hear God’s voice clearly
By: Jaime Hampton
Bible poem: Whether you turn right or left, your ears hear the voice behind you, “This is the way, walk there.” – Isaiah 30:21 (NIV)
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One of the biggest challenges I face as a Christian is the fact that I can’t hear God’s voice and that he doesn’t use neon signs to help us make decisions. To be honest, when I listen to God’s wisdom, or when I go to the Bible for answers, I am not entirely sure if it is God’s speaking or if it is my own thoughts or desires.
I remember when we were in the process of deciding whether our oldest should continue homeschooling or return to public school. My husband and I were eager to go not only to our personal preferences, but also to go individually to seek wisdom through prayer and biblical reading, and to our personal preferences, considering that if we returned with the same answer, it was absolutely God’s will.
A few days later we returned to discuss what God had revealed.
There were two different answers.
I was very annoyed. I reached a point where I was seriously considering flipping the coin. Instead, he decided that he should lead his son into the decision-making process. This may be why God was silent up to that point, as we all prayed. This time, all three of us took the time to seek God’s will on this issue and we all came back with the same answer.
It is difficult to know why God’s voice seems quiet and difficult to identify. Honestly, stories sometimes don’t end as neatly as I shared. Sometimes, we are forced to make the best decisions possible based on the information of the time, without a clear answer from God. But Isaiah 30:21 says, “Whether you turn right or left, your ears hear the voice behind you, saying, “This is the way, walk there.”
We can be sure that when we seek God in all our hearts, we will find Him. When we pray that God will match our spiritual ears to the frequency of His voice, he will teach us when we need it. You may need to turn right or left first, then you may continue to wait faithfully for that instructional voice. But his instructions will come.
I comfort the knowledge that I may not be able to trust my ability to fully identify God’s voice, but as I continue to seek God’s wisdom and guidance at every step along the way, I can absolutely trust my ability to guide and direct me when I need it the most.
And you can do that too.
Let’s pray:
Dear Father, we praise you for being Elroy. Even when your voice is difficult to identify, you look at us and love us. We appreciate your fellowship, wisdom and care enough to provide us with your fellowship, wisdom and guidance when we face your forks on the road.
We confess that the noise and busyness of the world often prevent us from hearing you. Ask your ears to match your voice frequency so that everything else disappears into the background. We want to hear your voice tell us, “This is the way, walk there.” And if we are walking on a path that is not your absolute best for us, we pray that you will gently and firmly correct us and help us find a way to return to where you were intended to go to us.
In the name of Jesus, Amen.
Image credits: ©getTyimages/lillyroadstones
Jaime Hampton is Christian author and co-host of the Christian Women’s Podcast of Prayer with Alana Terry. She camps with her family, drinks coffee, drinks coffee, and enjoys the crazy life that comes with being a hockey mom. You can find encouragement in a prayer life at PrayingchristianWomen.com or @prayingchristianwomen on Instagram, Facebook and YouTube.
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