Chris Tiegreen - Hearing His Voice: 90 Devotions to Deepen Your Connection with God

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Hearing His Voice: 90 Devotions to Deepen Your Connection with God

Copyright 2020 by Chris Tiegreen. All rights reserved.

Devotional content adapted from The One Year Hearing His Voice Devotional published by Tyndale House Publishers in 2014 under ISBN 978-1-4964-2093-0.

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I once heard a very prominent pastor scoff at Christians who think they can actually hear God directly. But isnt it true that the entire Christian faith is based on the belief that God wants a personal relationship with His people? If so, it seems natural to ask ourselves what kind of relationship He wants. One without conversation? Surely not. That would hardly be a relationship. No, God speaks, and His people listen. Thats what following Him is all about.

Though many in the Western church insist that God doesnt speak directly to us todaybecause our hearing is too subjective, or He has already said everything He has to say in the BibleChristians in less rigidly analytical and skeptical cultures are hearing God daily and doing mighty works in the power of His Spirit, simply by following what they hear. Yes, we can find examples of abuses and stories of people who misheard God, but there are far more testimonies of people who have heard God clearly and have borne much fruit from what they have heard.

Anyone can learn to recognize Gods voice. And God doesnt mind the skeptics. He simply speaks to people who will listen and believe.

What does God say to us? How does He say it? How can we know when weve heard Him? What can we do to hear Him better? We could spend the rest of our lives learning how to recognize Gods voice, but if we seek Him, we can be confident that He will make Himself available to us. If we listen, He will speak. And if we believe what we have heard, He will show us even more. God always seeks to take us deeper into His will and draw us closer to Himself.

This book includes ninety devotional readings that cover many issues related to hearing God. One of every nine devotions is written as a first-person perspective from the heart of Godthings I have sensed Him saying and that I believe He wants to share with those who will listen. Sometimes people are uncomfortable with this approach, but it fits well with New Testament practice (see 1 Corinthians 14:1 and 1 Peter 4:11). God is not bothered by our efforts to express His thoughts.

Each devotion ends with a brief prayer. Some peoplelike me, sometimestend to skip over guided prayers in books, but I encourage you not to do that here. Some of the prayers may seem simple or superfluous, but there is a point to them. When we ask from God, we receive. He responds when we express our desires to Him. If your desire is to hear Gods voice, then asking to hear Him better, no matter how basic the request, is an invaluable practice. If some of the prayers seem repetitive, thats okay. Were told in Scripture to keep asking, to persist until God answers. Over the course of ninety days, He will answeroften in surprising ways.

Listening to God is a process, a journey, and an adventure. It may take time, but its worth the effort. He promises that those who seek Him will be rewarded with His presence and His voice. The words of the living God are powerful and life-changing. May He bless your desire to hear Him.

In the beginning the Word already existed.
The Word was with God, and the Word was God.

JOHN 1:1

From the first pages of Scripture, God speaks. Every time He utters a word, things happen. He says, Let there be light, and light comes into beingand He keeps talking until our entire universe is filled with order and life. He calls out a people from among the nations and reveals His purposes through them. He chooses prophets to deliver His messages when those people are in danger and need to return to Him. And when He sends His own Son to live among us, the Son is called the Word. Clearly, we do not serve a silent God.

Many people cant say with any certainty that God still speaks today, much less to them personally. They can accept His written Word as His voicegeneralized for all who read it, of coursebut for personal conversations and direction, they strive and strain to hear. Our theology tells us that God is quite vocal, even if our experience tells us He isnt. The result of this paradox is a lot of theory, little practice, and a considerable amount of frustration.

Step one in hearing God is acknowledging that He still speaks. We must be convinced of that in order to press through the frustrations on the way to hearing Him. Low expectations will undermine our efforts. If we know Hes the Word who always has something to say, we wont give up easily in our attempts to hear Him. Most of all, well believea prerequisite to receiving anything from God. Faith opens our ears.

Believe not only that God still speaks, but that Hes speaking to you. He calls you into a relationship, and relationships are based on communication. Conversations with God are normalyou were designed for them. Believe and listenand know that you will hear.

Living Word, I invite You to speak to me. I know You have been; please open my ears to hear. I want to learn the sound of Your voice and know Your thoughts. In faith, Im listening.