Hearing from God
One of my favorite things about Polished is gathering stories and testimonies from our speakers and guests. I listen in awe as I hear how God moved in their lives, praising His absolute goodness and blessing their obedience in listening to God. And I pay special attention to how our speakers and guests heard from God. Because I always want to hear from God. Don’t we all? In the Bible, we see more tangible expressions of God speaking to people that are just not seen today: God speaking through a burning bush (Moses) or appearing as a flash of light (Paul). And while God is certainly capable of doing that again, He appears to use different methods more frequently today. So how does God speak to us today?
1. The Bible. This is the obvious answer but it cannot be overlooked. God wrote this book to be a timeless message of love and grace for each of us. He wrote it with YOU in mind—yes, you! While each part must be read in its context, the overarching text is a narrative of Jesus’s redeeming grace, and God speaks to us and ministers to us through that message.
2. Prayer. Prayer is a two-way conversation. Did I just blow your mind with that? It blew my mind when I was first told that. From a young child, I was so used to just reciting my prayers and then going to sleep. But it’s a conversation. It involves two participants. There is a back-and-forth. I was told to imagine as if I am on the telephone with God. While God may not have an audible response, he is listening and responding in His own way. We simply must listen…
3. Silence and Meditation. God speaks in the silence. Intentionally quieting the noise of the world allows us to hear God more easily. Meditating on Him, His Word, or in prayer may put you into a prime position to hear from Him in a more direct way. Polished speakers have related that silent mediation has led to God giving them a nugget of wisdom, direction, or even speaking to them audibly.
4. Community. From the beginning, God designed us to live in community, and God uses community to speak to us. Just look at the spiritual gifts of prophecy, speaking in tongues, and the interpretation of speaking in tongues—all of these require community. But God uses community to speak in less intricate ways. He may give a friend a word to share with another friend (or even a stranger!). A Polished speaker shared that she was inspired by a friend who was given special insight from God after her friend had spent time in silent meditation. God’s message was given once but was intended for both people and that intention could only be carried out in community.
These are but a few examples of the way that God speaks. His ways are limitless! If you want to hear from God, I encourage you to simply ask for it—pray for “ears to hear” (Matt. 13:9) and see what God does. Wait expectantly on Him with an open heart and He will deliver.
Tiffanie Limbrick is an attorney and mama to Josh. She is passionate about leading and empowering women both in and outside of the workplace. Tiffanie believes that every woman has the power to change the world, even if it’s just her little corner of the world. When Tiffanie is not running after Josh, you can catch her curled up on the couch reading a good book.