#hearinggod

Hearing Beyond Sound — Responding to the Voice of God Throughout Scripture, God repeatedly speaks to humanity. Yet one of the most solemn and recurring statements made by the Lord Jesus Christ is: “He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches.” — King James Version This statement appears again and again in the Gospels and in the book of Revelation. It is not merely…

Yesterday, I had a conversation with a dear friend about something that’s been weighing on both of us: the feeling that we’re missing God’s message or calling.

It all started when I sent her a meme—classic me, trying to lighten the mood. It said: “When I’m trying to be obedient to God but have no idea what He’s calling me to do.” The clip was from a movie where Jackie Chan is nodding in confusion while Chris Tucker yells, “Do you understand the words that are coming out of my mouth?” We laughed because, honestly, doesn’t that feel relatable?

I joked that the Holy Spirit must look at God sometimes and ask, “Are You sure You picked the right person?” But the conversation quickly deepened. We started talking about how hard it can be to feel certain about what God is saying—or if He’s saying anything at all.

Here’s the thing: I think so many of us are waiting for a moment. A booming voice from the heavens. A burning bush, tables flipped in fury, a veil torn in two. Something big and unmistakable. But what if we’re looking in all the wrong places?

What if God can’t cut through the noise we’ve surrounded ourselves with?

We live in an age of constant stimulation. Big screens, small screens, and everything in between. Ads pop up at every turn. Our downtime is spent scrolling endlessly, keeping up with Facebook friends, or checking notifications. Add in family, work, kids, community obligations, and a culture that glorifies being busy, and it feels like there’s no time to simply be. If your calendar isn’t packed from the moment you wake up to when you collapse into bed, are you even doing enough?

I wonder sometimes why God used shepherds so often in His story. Shepherds were the first to see Jesus in the manger. King David was a shepherd boy before becoming king. Maybe it’s because shepherding is quiet work. Sheep aren’t loud. They graze, they sleep. There’s time to think, to reflect, to listen.

One of my favorite lines from The Alchemist says it best: “If God leads the sheep so well, He will also lead a man.” And how true that is. God speaks in the stillness.

I’ve heard God most clearly in the silence. I remember one vivid moment years ago, driving over the St. Simons Island causeway with the convertible top down. The wind drowned out every other sound, and as the marshes stretched out before me under the sunset, it was like time slowed to a crawl. I was in the middle of a season of uncertainty, praying about a specific person in my life, and in that quiet moment, I heard it.

“Let them go.”

It wasn’t a booming voice. It wasn’t words spoken aloud. But it was unmistakable—like God Himself was sitting beside me. I had spent months praying about this, but it wasn’t until I let the distractions fade into the background that I could hear Him so clearly.

Maybe that’s the real issue: we’ve become so tuned to the noise around us that we’ve fallen out of tune with God.

But here’s what I’ve also started to notice—God doesn’t stop trying to reach us, even in the chaos. What if, while waiting for us to sit still and listen, He’s speaking through the clutter of our lives?

Maybe He’s using our worship music to lead us to prayer. Maybe He’s placing the same Bible verse in our feed, over and over, until we finally pay attention. Maybe He’s working through friends, strangers, even those silly Reels we scroll past, planting little seeds along the way.

At some point, the coincidences stop being coincidences.

The same verse popping up in different places? That’s not an accident. Conversations that sync up with a situation you’re walking through? Not random. A song that brings you to tears and reminds you to pray? That’s not chance.

God is always working to start a conversation with us. To slow us down. To connect. He wants to reveal our calling, show us what we’re missing, and remind us that it’s not just about the destination—it’s about the relationship.

So maybe the next time life feels noisy and overwhelming, instead of waiting for the burning bush or the booming voice, we can start looking for Him in the little things. The patterns. The whispers.

Because God isn’t just found in the big, dramatic moments. He’s in the stillness. The quiet. And even the noise—if we’re willing to tune in and listen.

Forget Faith Formulas

When it comes to hearing from God, it is best to put away the formulas. Frankly, faith formulas are not of faith; they are man-made contrivances based on other peoples’ experiences. Our walk with God is individualistic in nature; although, biblical principles apply to all. That means the way God interacts with one person will be different from another. In short, don’t mimic someone else’s walk thinking you’ll get the desired result. By the way, you might as well ditch the idea of “Five steps to successfully walk by faith,” and the like. God cannot be put in a box; moreover, He doesn’t want you in a box either. That is what religion does. It has no life, because it is based on dead works. If you are looking for a faith-formula, try this on for size: So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the Word of God (Romans 10:17). While this applies to how we received salvation by grace through faith, we also find it works relationally. The Example of this is Jesus, Himself. He did and said things based on what He saw the Father do, and what He heard Him say. Think relationship, and think humility.

Deny Yourself, Take Up Your Cross and Follow Him

This is very basic: He is God and we are not! Faith does not work very well if you insist on having things your way. This is where faith-formulas get you into trouble. Meaning, some try to use the Word of God to get what they want from Him with no regards to His perfect will. That’s what spoiled children do, and He does discipline those who are spoiled, which is also an indicator of His love (see Hebrews 12:1-13). Matthew 16:24-25 Then said Jesus unto his disciples, If any man will come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me. For whosoever will save his life shall lose it: and whosoever will lose his life for My sake shall find it. Deny the self says, “I love God more than myself and my reputation.” It does things on His terms, and recognizes His sovereignty. It will not bargain! Moreover, when you deny yourself, you will not attempt to use faith to satisfy the flesh. This later one manifests in numerous ways. It removes the insistence of having things your way, and surrenders to the Cross. You do not insert yourself into the situation: you wait on God. Taking up your cross means full surrender! It’s a place of decision. You give up all control, which means you cannot control the method of your crucifixion. If one will not take up one’s cross, one cannot follow Jesus. At Gethsemane, showed us the perfect example (see Matthew 26:36; Mark 14:32). Gethsemane means oil press, and is a place of pressure where the decision is made to accept or reject the will of the Father. When Jesus carried His Cross, He had fully surrendered Himself to be crucified. The reason some have a difficult time hearing from God is they have not embraced this principle. Of course, some haven’t learned it yet. Some simply refuse, because they’re listening too much to their flesh. Here is one example of why some find it difficult to hear. God has asked some to let go of something; in fact, He has asked numerous times. Each time they have clutched onto that thing tighter, and tighter with each request. As a result, their heart has closed up to what God has to say, and has for them. In this instance, if they would obey Him, it would be far easier to hear from Him. For them it is simple: trust Him and let go! As Jesus said, “For whosoever will save his life shall lose it: and whosoever will lose his life for My sake shall find it.” Psalm 37:4 Delight thyself also in the LORD; and He shall give thee the desires of thine heart. The hazard of insisting on your way is obvious. However, by delighting in the Lord, you open yourself up to receive His desires for you, which frees Him up to give you the desires of your heart. This may sound like a formula; but it’s not. Here is a passage of Scripture that may prove useful on which to meditate: Galatians 2:20 I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, Who loved me, and gave Himself for me.

Hello friends! I was initially going to post a life update (but not much has changed for me, although there may be some things on the horizon), so I’m going to share with you my favorite books of 2022. I can’t believe I haven’t done this in years past, I do have a series called books & songs where I share my current favorite songs and what I’ve been reading, but this will be out of all the books…

Top 10 Books of 2022

Hello friends! I was initially going to post a life update (but not much has changed for me, although there may be some things on the horizon), so I’m going to share with you my favorite books of 2022. I can’t believe I haven’t done this in years past, I do have a series called books & songs where I share my current favorite songs and what I’ve been reading, but this will be out of all the books…