Speak, Lord, Your Servant Is Listening
Four keys to hearing the voice of God
If you’ve been married for any length of time, this might sound familiar. I’ll be in a room talking with my wife, Tina, and she’ll start doing something else. I assume the conversation is over, so I leave. Then, from the far end of the house, I hear her voice still going. She’s still talking to me. I have no idea what she’s saying, but she is definitely still talking.
Over the years I’ve learned that if I actually want to hear Tina, four things have to happen. I have to be near her. I have to take off my headphones (I edit video, and those things block out everything). I have to put down the distractions, like the text message that just buzzed in. And I have to actually listen, not just hear.
Here’s what I’ve found: those same four principles apply to hearing the voice of God.
One quick caveat. God doesn’t follow my formulas. He can break through and speak to anyone, anytime. So this isn’t a guarantee; it’s a posture. These are ways to position your life so that hearing from God becomes likely instead of rare.
1. Draw near
“Draw near to God and He will draw near to you.” (James 4:8)
We can’t expect to hear from God if we never approach Him. And yes, God is everywhere, and He never leaves us. But Scripture also describes His manifest presence, those moments when He reveals Himself more plainly (John 14:21). You’ve probably felt it in worship, or in the car on the way to church, when His presence seems to fall heavier than usual.
Here’s the part we forget: God wants this too. David said God’s thoughts toward us outnumber the grains of sand (Psalm 139:17–18). Drawing near isn’t us chasing a reluctant God. It’s responding to a God who is already moving toward us. So we come intentionally, and we come boldly (Hebrews 4:16).
2. Take off the headphones
Like my headphones, some things block our hearing from God. Here are four.
Fear. I once had a friend who believed God was just waiting for him to mess up so He could zap him. That’s more of a picture of Zeus than of God. If you’re in Christ, you didn’t receive a spirit of fear. You received “the Spirit of adoption by whom we cry out, ‘Abba, Father’” (Romans 8:15). Children don’t hide from a good father.
Pride. “God resists the proud, but gives grace to the humble” (James 4:6). An “I’ve got this, God, but would You bless it anyway?” attitude will block our hearing every time. Remember who went home justified in Jesus’ parable: not the Pharisee boasting, but the tax collector asking for mercy.
Shame. “There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus” (Romans 8:1). Guilt says, “I made a mistake.” Shame says, “I am a mistake.” When Adam and Eve were ashamed, they hid, and God went looking for them and covered them. He still does.
Sin. Under grace, sin doesn’t cut us off from God. But it still does damage. It’s the leading cause of shame, which makes us feel far from Him. It can bring loving discipline, because a father who loves his children corrects them (Hebrews 12:6). And it can keep us from the blessing that comes with obedience (1 John 3:22).
A former pastor of ours, Daniel Williams, told a story about trying cigarettes as a teenager. His dad walked out the back door, so he hid the cigarette behind his back and quickly asked if he could get a new bike. His father said, “Son, do not petition your father with smoldering disobedience behind your back.”
Most of us don’t treat grace as a license to sin. But many of us treat it as a license for apathy, an excuse to coast. Grace doesn’t say “do nothing.” Grace is what empowers us to grow.
3. Remove the distractions
Jesus had three years to prepare twelve men to change the world, and He still regularly sent the crowds away to be alone with the Father (Matthew 14:23). He taught us to go into our room and shut the door (Matthew 6:6).
Our distractions are phones, to-do lists, and entertainment. Sometimes they’re even good things. Martha was busy serving Jesus, but Mary chose “that good part” by sitting at His feet (Luke 10:42). I’m a get-things-done person, so this one is hard for me. But nothing, not even ministry, is more important than time with the Father.
“Be still, and know that I am God.” (Psalm 46:10)
4. Always be listening
Tina and I share a long desk in our home office. We can go hours without saying much. But I’m always aware she’s there, and the moment she says, “Hey, Ryan,” I’m ready. That’s what it means to “pray without ceasing” (1 Thessalonians 5:17): keeping your ear turned toward God all day long.
Young Samuel heard God call his name three times before he realized who was speaking. Once he did, his answer was simple: “Speak, Lord, for Your servant hears” (1 Samuel 3:9).
We listen with reverence. We come boldly, but only “by the blood of Jesus” (Hebrews 10:19), never forgetting the price paid for our access. And we listen with faith, believing that God “is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him” (Hebrews 11:6). The attitude we bring into His presence shows who we expect to hear from.
Not louder, but closer
I didn’t learn to recognize Tina’s voice overnight. After 33 years, I know her voice not because she got louder, but because we got closer.
Jesus said, “My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me” (John 10:27). Hearing God isn’t a skill reserved for a few super-spiritual people. It’s what happens in a relationship where you keep drawing near.
Maybe something has been blocking your hearing: fear, pride, shame, sin, or just a life too full to be still. Lay it down today, turn your ear toward Him, and pray Samuel’s prayer with me:
Speak, Lord, for Your servant hears.
For reflection
- Which of the four keys is hardest for you right now?
- Is fear, pride, shame, or sin acting like “headphones” in your life?
- What is one distraction you can set aside this week to spend time with God?
Watch the full message: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wtfv0Vp3jqk