How Did Jesus Hear God Speak?

It is notable that Jesus did not begin His earthly ministry until the Holy Spirit had come upon Him at His baptism.  From that point onwards, the Holy Spirit led Him.  Philippians 2:7, 8 says “When the time came, he set aside the privileges of deity and took on the status of a slave, became human! Having become human, he stayed human. It was an incredibly humbling process. He didn't claim special privileges. Instead, he lived a selfless, obedient life and then died a selfless, obedient death…  (The Message) When Jesus went to be with His Father after His resurrection, He asked the Father to send the Holy Spirit to us (John 7:39; 15:26).  The Holy Spirit is the Spirit of truth.  He leads us into all truth (John 16:13). He helps us to communicate with the Father (Romans 8:26-27).  When we become a Christian, the Holy Spirit makes our Spirit alive and dwells within us.  He awakens within us a God-given ability to hear what the Father is saying.

So how does God speak to us?  Is He limited to speaking through His Word?  Can we learn to recognize His voice?  Does God speak in an audible voice?  Does He speak through our own thoughts?  If so, how do we distinguish between our own thoughts and what He is saying?

A quick read through the New Testament shows that the early disciples expected God to speak to them.  In Acts 2, Peter knew that what they were seeing on the Day of Pentecost was a fulfillment of the prophecy in Joel.  How did He know that?  In Acts 13, the Holy Spirit spoke to a group of prophets and teachers and told them to set apart Saul and Barnabas for a specific work.  How did they hear Him say that? 

The majority of Christians here in the West rarely experience this vibrant and alive walk with Jesus.  Most struggle to know when God is speaking.  Probably 90% of us are not sure if we hear God clearly. We have learned to rely on others hearing God’s voice for us, whether that is through the Sunday sermon or a Christian book.  And our walk with the Lord is the poorer for it.

Comments

[John White]

Felicity,

This is such a key question! Every where I go I ask people if they are able to hear God's voice on a regular basis. The answer from an amazing number of Christians (including leaders) is "no".

I recently met a Young Life leader from Dallas who mentioned that she was discipling 40 high school girls. I asked her how many of her girls were able to hear God's voice. With a startled look on her face, she said, "I don't think any of them". I had lunch with a Campus Crusade staff member recently and asked the same question. He said that the only time he was sure that he had heard God speak to him was when the Lord told him that he would marry the woman who is now his wife. That was the only time.

Amazing!

My sense is that it's not that Christians don't want to hear God. Rather, they have never really thought about it (again, amazing!) or they simply don't know how.

[Ron Kellington]

John is on to something... Most of us don't know what it means to turn "inward" to fellowship with our Lord there. God is faithful who has called us into the fellowship of His Son.. who dwells in our hearts.. where the the Kingdom of Heaven is.. We have the invitation, the call, from the Father to commune there... but I never heard that for decades of being a Christian. Sure, he speaks through the Bible... and He especially speaks through Christ in our brothers and sisters,.. and elsewhere.. but there is something to getting alone.. getting quiet.. still... and beholding Him.

[air jordans]

yes. it is very good.