Listening to God

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Evania

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I am trying to discern something pretty major. I’ve literally been praying over this issue for over a year now.

My question is: How do you “listen” to God? How do you know if He is speaking to you? I know He doesn’t part the clouds and physically talk to you (although it would be nice, especially in these tough cases). If you wouldn’t mind, and if you feel comfortable, please share examples of how God spoke to you.

Also, please pray for this particular issue that I need to figure out.

Thanks!
 
I am of the opinion that God speaks to us in a method that we can hear. This will be different depending upon the individual. Often it is not in the method of our choosing.

He might “speak” to us by revealing Himself through the scriptures. Or during prayer or times of worship. We might get visions, sensations, or hear His inaudible voice.

I think many people disqualify themselves from this type of intimacy with God, because when He did first speak to them they chose not to want to hear Him. Just like what the Israelites did, asking God never to speak to them again except through the voice of Moses.

When we do hear His still small voice, it is difficult to realize the full impact of the situation, and the tendency to pass it off as trivial is very easy. But there is nothing trivial about the Lord God choosing to speak to one of us personally! Like Samuel hearing His voice for the very first time, we need to drop everything and say, “Speak Lord, for your servant is listening!”
 
Evania said:
I am trying to discern something pretty major. I’ve literally been praying over this issue for over a year now.

My question is: How do you “listen” to God? How do you know if He is speaking to you? I know He doesn’t part the clouds and physically talk to you (although it would be nice, especially in these tough cases). If you wouldn’t mind, and if you feel comfortable, please share examples of how God spoke to you.

Also, please pray for this particular issue that I need to figure out.

Thanks!
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Pray a novena and ask her to send roses, so you,ll know which option to take
 
I have felt that I have heard God speaking to me twice in the past two months. Each time it was the exact same words and He was very firm in what He said. I have tried to do as He asked and it takes a great deal of faith in this matter. In the absence of something as direct I do believe that you could start down a certain path and if you feel comfort and peace you can assume you are doing what you need to be doing. Sometimes you just have to make a choice and step out in faith, I will pray for you.
 
İt is impossible to talk or hear God’s word because God is eternal and unmaterial. God sent his words by angels in low degrees and so people can hear and understand. Sometimes by angels God give afflatus to humanbeing.

But God hear and see and answer all invocation, prayer. So when a man prayer God in a difficult stuation God hears. But sometimes God gives what prayer desire exact sometime better and sometimes does not give because that is harmfull for prayer or God give award after death. Than talk and call for something from God is a worship. .
 
Tobias65 said:
When we do hear His still small voice, it is difficult to realize the full impact of the situation, and the tendency to pass it off as trivial is very easy. But there is nothing trivial about the Lord God choosing to speak to one of us personally! Like Samuel hearing His voice for the very first time, we need to drop everything and say, “Speak Lord, for your servant is listening!”
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I fully agree. My experience is similar, I would say, to Elijah in 1 Kings 19:11-13 (the quiet part, not the earthquake/fire part :)).

When I pray for wisdom or advice, I first ask my question and then (here’s the important part for me) I clear my head and wait quietly in prayer. After a short wait, a thought, phrase, or maybe a Bible verse will appear in my head, with no prompting from anything else. Sometimes, though, if the question is very important, I may have to wait longer (30 minutes if I have the time) without letting my mind wander or repeat the practice a few times. But always I find the answer comes to me, and this, I believe, is when God is speaking to me.

For the OP’s question, I will pray for you. And if you feel comfortable doing so, I recommend you give this kind of prayer a try. May God give you the wisdom to discern what you need to!
 
God never answers my prayers in conversation form. I often feel a sense of relief, accomplishment, and peace following prayer. Confidence, as well. If I did not feel I was getting anything out of prayer, I certainly would not pray as much as I do! Perhaps some day I will be as fortunate as St. Faustina, who knows? 🙂
 
People tend to want God to speak to their minds, using words and thoughts and concepts, but He prefers to speak to our hearts. Sit quietly in the still darkness without looking for thoughts and words and concepts and just be open. Have the humility to know that you don’t understand His language and don’t really know what’s happening; trust in Him completely that He’ll guide you in His own way. Mysterious shifts and transformations will happen, and your heart will to open, and He’ll carry you back to Eden.
 
mountee said:
I have felt that I have heard God speaking to me twice in the past two months. Each time it was the exact same words and He was very firm in what He said. I have tried to do as He asked and it takes a great deal of faith in this matter. In the absence of something as direct I do believe that you could start down a certain path and if you feel comfort and peace you can assume you are doing what you need to be doing. Sometimes you just have to make a choice and step out in faith, I will pray for you.
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This is an interesting thread because all of us are trying to get better at “hearing God”.

Proverbs has some tips on this such as getting “wise counsel” and embracing Wisdom as your sister.

Some people try to read a section of proverbs daily, in fact I think the book works well with that because of the number of chapters.

Also, I agree with being willing to take some steps in faith once you have done all your own homework and gotten wise counsel. I heard one sermon that said that God can only direct us if we are taking action. He often will not direct those who are “waiting to be directed”. That would be like trying to direct someone sitting on the sidelines in a seat. What can you say to that person except “get up and get going”.

Finally, I heard one sermon that said that God may not speak on something big if we neglect something small. If there is something in our lives that we know God wants us to do that is small, like donating to a particular cause etc., then God may wait for us to do the small thing that we know He clearly wants us to do.

This reminds me that I told a ministry that I would send something, and I have not gotten around to it.

Good luck.
 
Evania, I think this varies by person and situation. For me, there have only been a few times where I felt I was being directly spoken to. Here are some other things that happen more frequently that I take to be communications from God:
  1. I happen upon something in scripture that directly speaks to something going on in my life. Sometimes it is words of direction or comfort. Others, I feel like I am one of the characters in the story being told, which then makes it clear to me what I am supposed to be doing about the situation.
  2. Through events in my life. Let me give a quick example that is fresh in my mind. I have a friend who was very insistent that I needed to go to a Pentacostal church with her this weekend. She isn’t a member of that church and hasn’t been there in a long while, but said she felt she needed to go and that I should be there. She also said it needed to be on a particular day. I thought the whole thing was odd, but went to mass early that day so I could go with her to this other church. The day before we went, I had been in a great deal of distress over a seemingly unsolvable problem going on with my daughter. I thought I was going for her, but the Pastor at this church gave a talk about an OT scripture and some things that had happened in his life that spoke very directly to my situation. My friend had no idea of the distress I was feeling or why we needed to go on that particular day. She just trusted her “intuition” and I trusted her, and he delivered…thereby increasing our Faith, which was especially needed by me.
  3. Through words of the priest, in confession, a homily or sometimes a seemingly unrelated conversation. The same can happen with friends or even strangers. I have also noticed my daughter sometimes says things to me that I would not expect her to say due to her young age. Given the content, I have felt God is working through her.
  4. Sometimes when I don’t know what I want to do about a problem, but am not getting clarity from the Lord, I tell him what I think I should do and then wait a few days. If I begin to feel peace about it, I know I am on the right track. If not, I know that I need to wait.
 
Evania said:
I am trying to discern something pretty major. I’ve literally been praying over this issue for over a year now.

My question is: How do you “listen” to God? How do you know if He is speaking to you?

Thanks!
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  • While praying; through my conscience.
  • Through other people (a stranger, a friend, a priest, family, fiancé…).
  • Many signs pointing the same thing (there is no such thing as coincidence).
  • While reading; through my conscience.
But you must first form your conscience, because there is such thing as an erroneous conscience on what is morally right and what is morally wrong.
 
A couple more things:

Obedience is important, but not a deal breaker. Remember, Cain kept listening to the voice of God before and after he killed his brother Able. God doesn’t necessarily stop talking the minute we disobey. He stops talking when we are unwilling to listen to Him anymore.

I believe He fully understand how odd and difficult it is to listen for His voice. Most people say they would not follow God unless they know beyond a shadow of a doubt that it is indeed Him speaking to them. Others take their stand with the court system, and look for a situation that is beyond reasonable doubt. I think that the biggest lesson/issue in hearing Gods voice is Him wanting to know just how serious we are.

How desperate are we to hear the voice of God in Heaven… no matter what He might say to us or ask us to do? Doubt gives us a way out. Having no proof that it was actually Him talking means that we are still free to choose whether we like what He said or not. Or does it?

Over the years I have heard His voice both clearly, and very unclearly. I found that the integral way to deal with unclear messages is to employ an honest 50/50 assessment. I consider the voice, and what was said, and if in all honesty I think there is a greater chance that it was God speaking than not, I see that I have no excuse to disobey. Because, if in my heart I believe there is a 51% chance that God did in fact say something to me, why would I instead act upon the only 49% chance that it was not Him?
 
E_7 said:
  • While praying; through my conscience.
  • Through other people (a stranger, a friend, a priest, family, fiancé…).
  • Many signs pointing the same thing (there is no such thing as coincidence).
  • While reading; through my conscience.
But you must first form your conscience, because there is such thing as an erroneous conscience on what is morally right and what is morally wrong.
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I like this post.

God basically will speak to your heart. While praying think of an important matter and say to Our Lord: Speak, Lord, your servant is listening. Then see how he speaks to your heart. Something should come to you, as it does for me. God bless you.
 
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