God is not silent, we are often just distracted. God is always speaking to us His beloved Children even through His silence; however, many of us fail to perceive it, believe it or obey it because we are not spiritually and physically alert to align our spirit-man to His words, voice, signs, promptings, commands, dreams, visions, messengers and instructions of the Holy Spirit. Most times, we do not hear God speaking to us because of distractions, fear, stubbornness, pride, impatience, disobedience, comfort, desires, self-righteousness and lack of intimacy with God. Job 33:14–18, “For God may speak in one way, or in another, yet man does not perceive it, in a dream, in a vision of the night, when deep sleep falls upon men, while slumbering on their beds, then He opens the ears of men, and seals their instruction. In order to turn man from his deed, and conceal pride from man, He keeps back his soul from the Pit, and his life from perishing by the sword”.
God speaks again and again to our spirit-man, but we often miss it because of our lack of perception and submission to the Holy Spirit. We frequently ignore God’s speaking as mere coincidence or science. Psalm 19:1-4: “The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands. Day after day they pour forth speech; night after night they reveal knowledge. They have no speech, they use no words… yet their voice goes out into all the earth.”
The story of Elijah and the widow of Zarephath in 1 Kings 17, illustrates an excellent example of how God is speaking to us, but we do not hear him. Although God had instructed the widow’s spirit-man to cater for Elijah’s need during the drought season, she was not spiritually alert to align with the voice of God because her dire situation engulfed her mind. Although she was physically alert to her circumstances, she was spiritually disaligned to God. Elijah had to inspire her faith to hear the instruction of God to her.1 Kings 17:7-13, “Sometime later the brook dried up because there had been no rain in the land. Then the word of the Lord came to him: “Go at once to Zarephath in the region of Sidon and stay there. I have directed a widow there to supply you with food.” So, he went to Zarephath. When he came to the town gate, a widow was there gathering sticks. He called to her and asked, “Would you bring me a little water in a jar so I may have a drink? As she was going to get it, he called, “And bring me, please, a piece of bread. As surely as the Lord your God lives,” she replied, “I don’t have any bread—only a handful of flour in a jar and a little olive oil in a jug. I am gathering a few sticks to take home and make a meal for myself and my son, that we may eat it—and die. Elijah said to her, “do not be afraid. Go home and do as you have said. But first make a small loaf of bread for me from what you have and bring it to me, and then make something for yourself and your son”.
Ten Reasons Why We Do Not Hear When God Speaks To Us:
1. The voice and speaking of God are not always loud, audible or forceful; therefore, we need to practice stillness in our souls and search our spirit-man for what God is trying to communicate to us.
God’s guidance often comes through: Scriptures, Conscience, Inner thoughts, Wise counsel from others and Life events.
2. The noise and distractions of the world often causes us to miss the silent whisper, promptings, words and instructions of God. Our lives are too noisy because of our Phones, Stress, Worries, Entertainment and Worldly Pleasures. When the mind is noisy, it is hard to notice spiritual guidance. Silence helps us hear.
3. Lack of purity and the Hardening of the heart causes a “calloused” heart to become numb to the conviction, rebukes, corrections, or guidance of the Holy Spirit. Matthew 13:15: “For this people’s heart has become calloused; they hardly hear with their ears, and they have closed their eyes.”
4. Through selective hearing, we ignore the parts of God’s message that require us to change our lives for good. We do not always like what God is saying to us because sometimes God’s message involves: Change, Sacrifice, Forgiveness, relinquishing our will. Therefore, we ignore the message instead of accepting it.
5. We are not spiritually alert, aligned, vigilant and yielded to the guidance of the Holy Spirit. Romans 8:14 “As many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God”.
6. Pride limits us from hearing the voice of God. When we believe: “we know better” or “we do not need guidance”, we stop listening to the communications of God. Humility opens the ears of the heart to listen attentively to God.
7. Lack of faith in God, His word and promises. We expect God to speak our way, we want Him to: Clear instructions, Quick answers and Signs on demand before we endeavour to listen to His communications to us. However, God speaks in His way and not ours.
8. Lack of spiritual practice because hearing God requires: Prayer / meditation, Quiet time and Moral effort; without these, spiritual awareness weakens, it is like a muscle not used.
9. God gave us free will, and He respects our free will. God does not force His voice on us. He invites, He does not command except on rare occasions. If we choose not to listen to Him, He allows it.
10. We resist Change because we do not want anything that will challenge our comfort, peace and set patterns. However, comfort can deter us from obeying the voice of God.
Example Of Those Who Failed to Perceive, Believe, or Obey the Communications/ Speaking of God
1. Pharaoh: The Heart of Stubborn Resistance: Pharaoh is the ultimate example of someone who hears the sound of God’s command but lacks the heart to listen. God didn’t just speak through words; He spoke through ten plagues, yet Pharaoh remained deaf to the intent.
2. King Saul: The Tragedy of Selective Hearing: Saul is a sobering example of someone who hears God’s instructions but “edits” them to fit his own desires. He thought he could keep the best of what God told him to destroy and still claim he had obeyed.
3. The Young Samuel: Hearing without Knowing: This shows that we can hear God’s voice and mistake it for a human one because we are not yet familiar with His voice.
4. The People of Jeremiah’s Day: Intentional Deafness: During the time of the prophet Jeremiah, the people had become so accustomed to their own ways that they treated God’s words like white noise.
Ten Ways for Us to be more Attentive and Hear God Better
1. Create quiet space and time for meditation/ reflection
2. Pray and fast fervently, and regularly.
3. Read the Bible daily
4. Pay attention to our conscience, spirit-man and guidance of the Holy Spirit
5. Be willing to obey God at all costs.
6. Resist temptations and remove distractions from our lives.
7. Ask for godly wisdom and guidance form the Holy Spirit daily.
8. Be sensitive, alert and notice patterns and signs God sometimes speaks through.
9. Stay humble, correctable and teachable.
10. Walk in faith by being not just a hearer, but also a doer of the word of God.
God bless you!