Hearing God's Voice + why so many people struggle with it

So many Christians want to hear God's voice. We want a mountain moving experience like Abraham or Moses or Mary had, when angels came and spoke to them and they saw the face of God. We want big, bold, obvious encounters with the Father. We want the church camp high and the giant, unexplainable miracles. We want the moving testimony (but skipped to the good part). We want to hear from God, but there's two really big issues with our perception of that.

1. We want God to be loud.

2. We want God to say what we want Him to say.

I'm speaking from experience here, and most of y'all can probably relate.

When I'm praying, I want the voice of God to be clear. I don't want to question if that's my voice or His. I want to be moved by the Holy Spirit. I want God Himself to sit with me on my bed and talk to me. I want goosebumps, happy tears, and a very obvious answer to whatever I'm asking for.

But not just any answer; I want the easiest, most convenient, most preferred answer. I don't really want God to take me out of my comfort zone, but if He insists, I'd rather it be in a controlled environment. I don't want my heart to break, so I try to resist His call to love. I don't want to dig into the past hurts, so I try to resist His call to forgive and invitation to heal. I'd rather stay comfortable, stay "happy", and be in a nice little bubble where God always protects me and nothing bad happens.

Unfortunately (or maybe not...), God doesn't really follow those guidelines. He's not always loud or obvious, and I have yet to actually experience God sit on my bed and talk with me. God doesn't usually give us the answer we're hoping for, and He most definitely does not keep us in a safe little bubble where we're never challenged, pushed, or uncomfortable.

God usually speaks in the quiet moments, where we really have to focus and be still to hear from Him. He makes His presence known to us when we intentionally are pursuing Him, and while sometimes it can be a life changing experience, it's usually a slow, heart shifting process as we continue coming back to Him. God likes to take us outside of our comfort zone and ask big things of us because He will be with us every step of the way, no matter how uncomfortable we feel. God is more interested in the deep, hurting parts of our hearts than the surface level parts of ourselves that we show the rest of the world, and that can be hard to unpack.

Hard, yes.

Worth it? More than I can tell you.

Having a relationship with Jesus isn't all church camp highs, joyful worship sessions, and mountain moving miracles. Simply hearing from God can be extremely hard, and sometimes discouraging, but friend, let me tell you:

Jesus is ready and willing to talk to you. He wants to have a conversation with you. He wants you to share what's on your heart and give Him the opportunity to share what's on His.

But you have to slow down, quiet your heart, and be present enough to let that happen. Jesus wants to talk to you, but He won't force anything - you must accept His invitation in this moment. All you have to do is say yes.

It probably won't be loud or obvious or life changing right in that moment, but Jesus will show up. There is such a peace knowing that the Lord of the universe is listening, and even if it isn't a huge moment, the more you meet with Him in those little moments, the easier it'll be to recognize His presence and hear His voice.

---

Friends, the God of the universe wants to hear from you. He wants you to keep praying, keep talking to Him, and keep listening. He wants to speak to your heart, if you'll slow down long enough to hear Him. He is there, and He is listening, even if it doesn't feel like it. He is there, and He is speaking, even if it's not in the way we expect or want.

Hearing God's voice and being in tune with the whispers He puts into our hearts isn't always easy or automatic, and it doesn't always happen exactly how we envision it. But the incredible thing about our relationship with our Father is that even though we can't comprehend or understand it, that doesn't mean He isn't speaking or isn't listening or isn't there. Learning to hear Jesus is a process, a journey, and He will meet you every step of the way because He loves you.

When have you experienced hearing God? How do you have confidence that God is listening/speaking, even when you can't feel it? I'd love to hear down in the comments below!