Hearing God: teaching one
We live in a world saturated with sound. Not just noise—but meaning. Signals. Voices. At any given moment, there are conversations happening, frequencies moving, messages being transmitted… and yet we hear almost none of it. Not because it isn’t there—but because we’re not tuned to it. That’s the real issue when it comes to hearing God. Jesus says in John 10, “My sheep hear my voice.” Not will hear—but hear. Present tense. Ongoing. Continuous. Which means the problem is not that God is silent. The problem is that we are often untrained listeners. The Myth of Divine Silence Many people live with a quiet assumption: God used to speak… but not like that anymore. But that’s not what Scripture suggests. From beginning to end, God is revealed as One who speaks—personally, relationally, persistently. What changes is not His voice. It’s our attention. We’ve been formed in a world of distraction. Our minds are conditioned to skim, scroll, react, and move on. Even in prayer, we often bring that same scattered awareness—half present, half elsewhere. So when God speaks in ways that require stillness, subtlety, and receptivity… we miss Him. Not because He isn’t speaking. But because we’re not listening. Hearing Is a Learned Capacity We often treat hearing God as if it’s a rare spiritual gift reserved for a few. But what if it’s more like learning a language? Or tuning an instrument? Or recognizing a loved one’s voice in a crowded room? At first, everything sounds the same. But over time, with attention and familiarity, distinction emerges. You begin to notice tone, rhythm, movement. What was once vague becomes recognizable. Jesus doesn’t describe His sheep as occasionally hearing His voice—but as those who know it. That kind of knowing is formed. Training the Ear of the Heart If hearing God is not accidental, then it can be cultivated. Not through strain—but through attention. Not through forcing—but through formation. Here are a few ways we begin to train our listening: 1. Slow Down Enough to NoticeGod’s voice is not usually found in the frantic pace of our inner world. Scripture consistently points to a quieter register—what 1 Kings calls the “low whisper.”We don’t create that whisper. We become still enough to receive it.