Voice of God: Uncovering His Voice in Nature

Have you ever sat out in the middle of nature and just listened to all of the unique sounds there are to hear? It’s quite amazing! I’m not the best at always knowing what exactly I’m hearing, but I just love the music that nature brings when you take the time to listen. Sometimes that music sounds a little like the voice of God.

I’ve been reading this book about friendship lately, and the emphasis as well has been on listening. There is a time to talk and to share your heart. This is such an important part of friendship. But a greater part of it involves listening and understanding and providing a space for a friend to share their heart with you. The world readily declares the importance of making your voice heard in the world. “Share your opinion!” “Don’t go unheard!” “Say what you wanna say!” “Don’t shrink back!” “Speak up!” But the kingdom of heaven says, “Faith comes by hearing!” “Be still and know that I am God!” “Be quick to listen and slow to speak!” Quite opposite from what the world says, wouldn’t you say? The voice of God has a way of doing that.

I’ve been analyzing my prayer times with God lately. I’ve been pouring my heart out, but just feeling like I’m still struggling sometimes to know if He hears. Moreover, I wonder if He’s really moving in the midst of all that is going on. I love it when I receive revelation from Him. I have been anxious to pour into the scriptures hoping to find hidden treasure. And not that I haven’t, or that my prayers haven’t been special to me.

But I just felt a yearning for more, and I have heard the Lord lately saying, “Shhh…Just be quiet, my dear. Train your ear to me, and listen. Let the slow pace of today bring you into a deeper state of rest in me. In that state, you may become more and more sensitive to my voice. Let this time of quiet be a time of training for you to hear me. I’m still there when the world is loud around you!! Give me the gift of your ears, not just your words.”

And let me tell you, it has been hard! It is not easy to just listen to the voice of God. I sometimes struggle to find purpose in it, and quickly revert back to me doing all the talking. However, I don’t want to waste a moment of time with Jesus, but sometimes, I end up limiting what I’m learning by shutting off my ears and opening my mouth instead. I do believe that words and prayers are powerfully and that the Lord calls us to pray, speak, and encourage with our mouths.

But perhaps, His words could flow much more readily in and through me if I took the time to open up my ears and hear His voice first. Lord, train my ears to hear you in all the ways that you are revealing yourself to me. Remove all the distractions that keep me from knowing your voice, and close my mouth when it’s time to listen. I yearn for the voice of God alone.