“God speaks to me not through the thunder and the earthquake, nor through the ocean and the stars, but through the Son of Man, and speaks in a language adapted to my imperfect sight and hearing.” – William Lyon Phelps
I’m almost certain that someone reading this post has a little trouble hearing. I’m with you. I desperately want to hear with clarity.
I’ve resisted hearing aids like the plague and have often said I’d never wear them. But a few weeks ago when I joined a weekly fellowship group, it shocked me that I was hearing maybe 10% of the conversation among the men and women sitting in a large living room. Making things worse, if multiple voices were speaking at the same time, nothing was clear, leaving me feeling confused and isolated in a room full of people!
A sense of fear, failure and futility dominated my thinking. Even so, I was in denial, still playing the blame game and stubbornly rationalizing my position that hearing aids were not for me. This of course was getting me nowhere.
In the back of my mind though, It was becoming clear that something would be needed if I really desired to move forward, to hear with clarity the voices and words that were becoming increasingly fuzzy and unrecognizable. I was missing out on meaningful insight, wisdom and encouragement.
Would hearing aids really work for me, if I’d just be willing to try them? I couldn’t imagine. But I truly wanted to be engaged with the group. This was the beginning of the way out of my comfort zone; it was a crucial tipping point. I finally wanted to hear with clarity more than I wanted to stay in my “comfortable” fuzzy world. Breaking out of my comfort was actually empowering me with a renewed will – by the grace of God!
(Do you find that when you’re living in a comfort zone and finally come to a realization that the “comfort” is less desirable to you than the alternative, your inner will and motivation begin to change for the better?)
As I began to investigate, I found there really are effective, over-the-counter, aids that can improve even my poor hearing. With the set I finally purchased, a phone app was included to customize the devices to my own unique hearing spectrum and deficiencies. I committed the time and energy to do this right.
The day came for me to test my new hearing in the small group. To my pleasant surprise, those fuzzy words became defined and clear. Although I could hear a dozen extraneous sounds in the room with more clarity as well, with time and practice, my mind would learn to discern the true voices that I needed to hear, above the other stuff.
ἀκούω (akouō)
According to New Testament Greek, the word for hear – ἀκούω – includes the passive, involuntary process, but more significantly the active, voluntary process. It is active listening. In a scriptural context, it often conveys an intentional response of obedience and faith upon hearing from the Spirit of God. It is a listening posture of real, life-changing faith.
As is true with physical hearing, I’ve come to understand that our spiritual hearing is also imperfect due to degeneration (our sin), genetic imperfection (the Fall in Genesis 3), and/or external factors (you name it) that have degraded our ability to hear with clarity what God wants to say to each of us. Admittedly, I’ve been comfortable this way far too long. Do you and I need to start engaging our hearing aids to hear Him clearly? Do you know what they are? The Billy Graham Evangelistic Association sums it up nicely:
…the human conscience and spirit act as the inner, subjective vehicle or “candle of the Lord” through which believers perceive, hear, and commune with the Holy Spirit. While the Holy Spirit is the divine source, He often communicates through a person’s inner awareness, guiding them toward God’s truth, holiness, and moral direction. – Billy Graham Evangelistic Association
When we ἀκούω, what are some of the means the Spirit of God uses to deliver His words of truth to our spiritual ears, through our spirit and conscience, into our hearts and minds for divine clarity?
A Barna Group survey identified these ways believers claim God speaks to them:
- Internal & Emotional (52%): A primary way people feel God speaks is through internal influence on their thoughts, emotions, or feelings.
- Scripture & Teaching (41% – 34%): Reading the Bible is a common method, followed by hearing messages in sermons or teachings that address immediate personal situations.
- Signs & Circumstances (36% – 31%): Many believe God provides direct signs or uses miraculous/unusual circumstances to communicate.
- Intuition & Thought (40%): A Guideposts survey found that two-fifths of respondents describe God’s voice as a thought or idea they wouldn’t have had on their own.
- Through Others (31%): People often feel God speaks to them through words spoken by others.
- Audible Voice (16% – 30%): While less common, a significant minority report hearing an audible voice or whisper. – Barna Group
I pray always to receive greater discernment to filter everything I believe I’m hearing from the Holy Spirit – by whatever means – through the lens of God’s Word.
“For his Spirit searches out everything and shows us God’s deep secrets. No one can know a person’s thoughts except that person’s own spirit, and no one can know God’s thoughts except God’s own Spirit. And we have received God’s Spirit (not the world’s spirit), so we can know the wonderful things God has freely given us. When we tell you these things, we do not use words that come from human wisdom. Instead, we speak words given to us by the Spirit, using the Spirit’s words to explain spiritual truths.” – 1 Corinthians 2:10-13
“For the word of God is living and active and full of power [making it operative, energizing, and effective]. It is sharper than any two-edged sword, penetrating as far as the division of the soul and spirit [the completeness of a person], and of both joints and marrow [the deepest parts of our nature], exposing and judging the very thoughts and intentions of the heart.” – Hebrews 4:12 (Amplified Bible)
What are you hearing from day to day? Are you hearing all kinds of conflicting voices in your head that leave you confused and discouraged? Do you sometimes just feel a sense of fear, failure or futility? This poor hearing can make you feel isolated. It can destroy the clarity of Truth that you need to hear. I think it may be safe to say, we’ve all been there.
Maybe it’s time to put this hearing problem behind you. Let’s think about some different questions.
Do you sense a growing desire to hear the voice of God, speaking directly and specifically to you, in ways that adapt to your unique hearing deficiencies, imperfections and injuries? Are you willing to let go of the denials, blame and rationalizations you’ve leaned on to excuse your poor hearing? Do you now realize the dissonant voices – lies you’ve heard about yourself and everyone around you – have been the extraneous sounds drowning out the whisper of liberating Truth you’re longing for?
Once you reach this tipping point with your comfort zone – and you will – you’ll find a new willingness, by God’s grace, to make intentional choices with your time and energy. You’ll begin engaging these God-given hearing aids in your heart and mind. Your once fuzzy spiritual hearing will become defined and clear. You’ll be ready for the alternative, which is to be transformed into a life of faith and obedience, hearing His voice with new clarity.
Could this be what it looks like to follow Jesus?
“…My own hear My voice and listen to Me; I know them, and they follow Me.” – John 10:27 (Amplified Bible)
Today would be a good day to open our Bibles and consider the following questions while reading, to engage our hearing aids.
As you continue investing time in the Word (God’s voice) daily – while doing whatever analysis and deeper digging into the passages you need to do – you might also consider asking yourself,
How is this Bible passage (a single phrase, verse or more) speaking to me directly right now?
Can I insert my name into this passage as I read it, as if God is speaking to me?
What is this passage saying to me about the nature of God?
How is His Spirit’s voice challenging what I’ve believed or thought about myself, others, or God Himself?
Does something speak to me in this reading with a principle I can apply to everyday struggles, trials, and choices I’m facing right now?
Is this passage speaking affirmation or confirmation about something I’ve been hearing in multiple ways (the ways/means listed above in the survey)?
With time and practice, you and I can engage our hearing aids to hear from the Spirit of God with a clarity that has never before entered our spiritual ears. I am so excited and expectant for this clarity in your life and my own!
“And your ears shall hear a word behind you, saying, ‘This is the way, walk in it,’ when you turn to the right or when you turn to the left.” – Isaiah 30:21
If you’re not doing this already, I’d highly encourage that you open your Bible every single day. Set your mind to invest in your precious God-given hearing aids. There are some good devotional resources that align with Scripture. One I’d recommend is https://www.crosswalk.com/devotionals/dailylightdailypath/ because it provides a brief reading of scripture passages around a particular theme, with both a morning and evening reading. From this devotional, you can easily pick out some of the verses that stand out to you, and dig into them in greater detail in your Bible.
