Can You Hear Him?

A Bible Study

By Sandra Higley

Note: This Bible study is formatted for small group discussion. If you use this study by yourself, we suggest you journal your answers to the discussion questions. Also, please use suggested translations where indicated. Biblegateway.com is an excellent source for translations you may not have on hand.

Thinking about my own discovery two decades ago—that God actually dialogues with us—brought me to tears. Thirty-eight years as a believer, and no one had ever told me that we could actually hear God’s voice and carry on a two-way conversation. On the contrary, hearing God’s voice was held in disrepute—or as suspect at best. The common understanding was that when the canon of Scripture was completed, the door closed, and God stopped talking.

But oh, when that door was opened to me! The personal part of my relationship with Jesus—only words on paper before that—became an actual reality. It’s what addicted me to prayer.  Sure, being able to talk to God and share our deepest concerns any time we want is truly amazing. But when the light bulb goes on that He actually talks back—now that’s intensely intimate. What adventures He has taken me on, what joys we’ve shared, what truths revealed!

Although hearing God’s voice may sound intimidating, it is actually very natural. Your Father longs to communicate. The God who defines Himself as “the Word” can’t help Himself. Conversation is not something we have to coax Him into. It is His idea, and He thrives on it.

Discussion Questions

Read the following passages and discuss why these verses indicate that not hearing God is the exception rather than the norm (Gen. 3:8–9; 1 Sam. 3:1; Amos 8:11–13; John 10:2–4, 27; Heb. 3:15): ______________________________

Kathy Branzell reminds us that “the same God who spoke with Adam and Eve in the garden desires to speak to [us in our] crisis time, in times of change, challenge, and celebration. The key to hearing God’s voice is taking the time to listen to Him.” She says that the question is not, “Will God speak to me?” The question is, “Are you taking the time to listen?” Describe your communication with God. Is it a monologue or dialogue? How much time do you spend listening versus talking?  ______________________________

Branzell describes ways that God may speak to us: through prompting, a push in the right direction, or discernment. Think about conversations you have with your closest friends and in relationships. What makes those special? How do you communicate with your loved ones? Is it always with specific words, or can you understand what is being communicated through a glance, body language, and/or voice inflections?  ______________________________

How is that different from or the same as your communication with God?  ______________________________

Look up the following Scriptures and identify some of the many ways God speaks to us (Gen. 21:14-19; Gen. 24:1–4 and 12–27; Gen. 37:5–11; Dan. 7; Ps. 16:7, 23:1–3, 43:3; Isa. 30:21; Acts 9:10–16, 11:4–9):  ______________________________

Read 1 Kings 19:11–13. Do you think these verses mean that the Lord never speaks through cataclysmic events, or that in this instance He chose to whisper? Explain your answer.  ______________________________

Mark Virkler writes about how God communicates with us through a flow of spontaneous thoughts. He reminds us that the enemy imposes his thoughts on us as well. Discernment regarding whose voice we are hearing is crucial. Virkler gives us a litmus test for any communication we receive: God’s thoughts always line up with Scripture and with His various names and nature. Satan’s thoughts line up with his various names and nature. Look up the following passages, and compare and contrast God’s names and nature versus Satan’s names and nature in the following areas:  Conviction versus condemnation (John 3:17, 8:9–11; 1 Tim. 3:6; Rev. 12:10)  ______________________________

Clarity versus confusion (1 Cor. 13:11–12, 14:33, KJV; James 3:15) ______________________________

Fear versus love (1 John 4:18; 2 Tim. 1:7)  ______________________________

Life-giving versus destructive (John 10:10)  ______________________________

Confirmation versus contradiction (Gen. 3:1–5; Mark 16:20; John 8:44; 1 Cor. 1:4–8; 2 Thess. 2:9) ______________________________

P. Douglas Small speaks about the importance of confirmation from trusted counsel when we hear words from the Lord that we believe should be shared corporately. “When God speaks so forcefully, He usually does so for the sake of our clarity and confidence. The appropriate response is humility and deep dependence on the Spirit to steward the disclosure toward radical obedience,” Small says. How do the following Scriptures affirm the need for corporate words to be confirmed with trusted counsel? (Prov. 15:22; Acts 13:2–3; 1 Thess. 5:19–21; 2 Peter 1:19–20, ESV) _____________________________________________________

Scripture also describes times when God spoke to individuals and they chose to listen to others’ voices rather than to God’s voice. Divide into smaller groups and assign each group one of the following passages. Invite participants to look up their assigned passage and answer the following questions. After an appropriate amount of time, reassemble and discuss their findings. Group 1: Numbers 13:1–3, 17–20, 27–28, 30–33; 14:20–23, 30 Group 2: 1 Kings 13:7–26 Group 3: 1 Kings 22:4–38 Group 4: Acts 21:4, 8–14; 23:11  Questions:

  • What did God say?
  • Did the person God spoke to receive confirmation?
  • What did they do about the word they received?
  • What was the outcome?

Sharing corporate words is a serious undertaking. Read the following passages and discuss as a group how to discern when a word should or shouldn’t be shared (Ezek. 3, 12:28—13:1-12).

Action Steps

Read and meditate on Jeremiah 33:3 and Psalm 27:8 (NLT).

  1. Ask the Lord to show you times when you could separate yourself from all that is going on and truly listen for His voice. Make an appointment on your calendar or calendar app to follow through. Make it a priority!
  2. Do you have a quiet spot to get alone with God? Begin to think of a place you could claim for your own, a place where you can get away from distractions.

SANDRA HIGLEY lives in Colorado Springs, CO, and is the editor of Real Life Downloaded, a Sunday school supplement for youth published by David C Cook Ministries.