Day 2 – Jesus Speaks to Us 

John 10:27 – My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me. (KJV) 

Twenty-five years ago, Henry Blackaby and Claude King penned a transformational book, Experiencing God, that prioritized hearing God speak. “One critical point to understanding and experiencing God,” they wrote, “is knowing clearly when God is speaking. If the Christian does not know when God is speaking, he is in trouble at the heart of his Christian life.” 

Knowing clearly when God is speaking can be challenging. Yet, Jesus declares that we - His followers - are fully capable of hearing His voice and following Him. Leanne Payne says in her book Listening Prayer, that “to listen in prayer for the voice of God is to find the mind of Christ; it is to gain transcendent wisdom…that includes understanding, guidance, knowledge, exhortation and consolation.” (LP, 125) 

How does God speak to us? He speaks to us by the Holy Spirit through the Bible, other people, experiences, dreams and visions, circumstances, angels, His still, small voice, His creation, and the gifts of the Holy Spirit. Perhaps some of these are familiar to you. Others, not so much or not at all. Yet, scriptures are filled with examples of God speaking to His people in these ways – individually and corporately. As Blackaby and Cloud point out: “You are going to have to watch to see how God uniquely communicates with you.” (EG, 87) Payne adds, “God does not despise our minds, imaginations, sensory and feeling faculties. He demands that they mature in listening prayer. He calls the whole of us, using our every faculty to respond to Him and His truth.” (LP, 157) 

Jesus modeled listening prayer throughout His earthly life. “I do nothing on my own, but speak just what the Father has taught me.” (John 8;28 NIV) Take a few minutes to ponder the significance of Jesus’ statement in John 10 verse 27. Open your hearts to hear His voice in whatever manner He chooses to speak, praying the prayer below: 

Pray This Prayer Today: “Jesus, as your followers, help us fully understand and embrace the ways you speak. Please remove any obstacles that prevent us hearing You, including our own misunderstanding or discomfort about hearing Your voice. Give us hearts that invite you to speak. We trust that Your Holy Spirit will guide us into truth as we hear Your voice. In Your Name, Amen.”