How I Hear the Father Speak to Me

Job 33:14 says –

For God speaks time and again but a person may not notice it.

Why is it so important for us to notice what the Father says?

First, it confirms we are His.

My sheep hear My voice, I know them, and they follow Me.
John 10:27 (Holman Christian Standard Bible)

Secondly, we are to follow the example of the Son (1 Peter 2:21)… and He only did what He saw the Father do. How can we possibly hope to have the relationship with the Father that He intended, if we don’t know how to hear His voice?

Third, hearing what the Father says is what brings us faith.

So faith comes by hearing [what is told], and what is heard comes by the preaching [of the message that came from the lips] of Christ (the Messiah Himself). Romans 10:17 (Amplified Bible)

It’s not the Bible that brings faith… it’s hearing what God is currently saying that brings faith. You can study the Bible and be like the scholars of old that Jesus condemned:

You pore over the Scriptures because you think you have eternal life in them, yet they testify about Me. And you are not willing to come to Me that you may have life.
John 5:39-40 (Holman Christian Standard Bible)

Yes, the Bible is our guide. It is our Cannon. It is the rule by which we measure all revelation. But it is the present Word of God that brings us life.

We need to hear the words of the Father to change the hearts of ourselves and others.

So, how can the Father speak to us?

This is in no way a comprehensive or systematic list. God will change how He speaks. The writer of the book of Hebrews has made that clear:

Long ago God spoke to the fathers by the prophets at different times and in different ways. In these last days, He has spoken to us by [His] Son, whom He has appointed heir of all things and through whom He made the universe. Hebrews 1:1-2 (Holman Christian Standard Bible)

As well, as we mature in our walk, the Father will hide His Word – don’t worry, He hides it for us, not from us. Proverbs 25:2 says:

It is the glory of God to conceal a matter
and the glory of kings to investigate a matter.
(Holman Christian Standard Bible)

Does this surprise you? Why do you think Jesus taught in parables?

So be forewarned: if the Father has always spoken to you in one way, that way will change. Here’s a reason why: for a toddler or pre-toddler, finding an Easter egg in the middle of a room can be a lot of fun. A nine or ten year old will need more of challenge.

There’s a deeper purpose that we’ll get to in a bit. For now, we should probably go back to the basics to make sure everyone is on the same page.

To start with, all of us need to pause and in the words of Habakkuk “watch to see what His will say”.

There are ways in the natural He speaks to us:

1. Through the Bible.

All Scripture is inspired by God and is profitable for teaching, for rebuking, for correcting, for training in righteousness,
2 Timothy 3:16 (Holman Christian Standard Bible)

2. Through Teachers.

Also, this is why we constantly thank God, because when you received the message about God that you heard from us, you welcomed it not as a human message, but as it truly is, the message of God, which also works effectively in you believers.
1 Thessalonians 2:13 (Holman Christian Standard Bible)

3. Through “coincidences”.

The Lord directs the steps of the godly.
He delights in every detail of their lives.
Psalm 37:23 (New Living Translation)

When your leaning hard into God, there is no such thing as a coincident. If you’re not, you’ll never “watch to see what He will say”.

4. Through unexplainable events

When the LORD saw that he had gone over to look, God called out to him from the bush, “Moses, Moses!”
Exodus 3:4 (Holman Christian Standard Bible)

Bill Johnson teaches that when you stop from your agenda and step aside to see that which you cannot explain, you attract the voice of the Father. So when you see something that catches your eye, “watch to see what He will say.”

The prophet wasn’t simply being poetic when he penned those words in Habakkuk 2:1, the Father can and will speak to all of our senses. We can perceive His voice in these supernatural ways. We can:

1. Feel it, or
2. See it, or
3. Read it, or
4. Think it, or
5. Say it, or
6. Dream it, or
7. Experience it, or
8. Hear it.

These are the ways the Father speaks to us with Words of knowledge – that is, supernatural knowledge that we can’t acquire through natural means. You need to be aware of your physical body and know when something is happening to it that isn’t the cause of a natural event.

We were having friends over to our house to pray and rest in the presence of the Father. That afternoon I had severe pain in my left knee. I have never had problems with that knee, and I couldn’t figure out why it was hurting then. But that evening one of our friends asked for prayer for his knee because he hurt it that afternoon. When I heard it was his left knee, I knew the Father was saying he was going to heal it immediately. We commanded the pain to go, and he was instantly healed.

Do you see why learning to hear the voice of the Father is so important? We must learn to “watch to see what He will say” so we can be like Jesus and only do what we see the Father do.

When the Father speaks, it is your responsibility to pick up on the fact He is speaking as well as what He is saying because He probably won’t say it another way.

Why?

Here’s the deeper truth I was telling you I wouldn’t forget to mention. The Father speaks to conceal a matter because what He’s asking you requires pruning and until you adjust to His way of doing things, you will not be adequately prepared to carry it.

But here is the good news… He trusts you to pick up on His voice and He trusts you to obey what you hear. Not only that, He prepares to you be able to obey changing how He speaks so that you’ll always need to learn again how to listen.

Tell me what you think. I love to have your experience and questions in the comments.