Can you hear God when He is speaking to you?
Years ago, I was speaking with my father, and among other things, he mentioned that he had just returned from having breakfast with one of his friends. I told him that I thought that sounded enjoyable, then I asked him, “What did you guys talk about?”
His answer surprised me because he said, “Well, I know what I said, but I honestly have no idea what he said to me. I just nod and agree because I can’t actually understand most of what my friend is trying to communicate.” Having met this particular friend, I can sympathize with my father’s comments. His friend is genuinely difficult to understand, even if you have very good hearing.
When it comes to your relationship with God, do you consider Him easy or difficult to understand? Can you hear Him when He’s speaking to you? Can you discern His voice over the lesser voices of present-day culture?
In a related way, maybe I should also ask, what do you do when God makes His will clear, but He says something you don’t want to hear?
During the prophet Hosea’s day, roughly 2,700 years ago, God spoke to His people, but they didn’t want to hear what He said. There are valuable life principles we can glean from the words God spoke to His people through Hosea.
1. Don’t feed your mind worthless things.
“Ephraim feeds on the wind and pursues the east wind all day long; they multiply falsehood and violence; they make a covenant with Assyria, and oil is carried to Egypt.” (Hosea 12:1)
Ephraim (Israel) had options during the days of Hosea’s ministry. They had access to God’s word, prophetic instruction from men like Hosea, and cultural traditions and examples that the Lord had given them in order to point their hearts toward Him. They could have fed their minds and their lives with this information, but they didn’t. Instead, they chased after the worthless pursuits of worldliness that most generations find themselves pursuing. Ephraim was feeding on the “wind.”
How often do we give thought to our information diet? The other day, I was sitting in our family room watching a video with social commentary on my laptop when I decided to get up, walk to the kitchen, and make myself coffee. I set the computer down, but grabbed my phone so I could either watch or listen to something while the coffee brewed. As I did that, I thought to myself, “Why did I feel the need to bring my phone? Has it become impossible for me to sit in silence for five minutes while coffee brews?” It seems like I’m always feeding my mind something, but am I feeding on the wind or on the counsel of God?
When we become accustomed to feeding our minds worthless things, we often rob ourselves of the opportunity to hear the voice of God. Our distractions crowd Him out. Our diversions may be wasting valuable time that we could have spent getting to know Him in a deeper sense.
2. God has a history of getting our attention.
“The Lord has an indictment against Judah and will punish Jacob according to his ways; he will repay him according to his deeds. 3 In the womb he took his brother by the heel, and in his manhood he strove with God. 4 He strove with the angel and prevailed; he wept and sought his favor. He met God at Bethel, and there God spoke with us” (Hosea 12:2-4)
At the time when Hosea was ministering, the children of Israel were in rebellion against the Lord, making it clear that they were forgetting their history. They forgot where they came from.
The book of Genesis records the unfolding story of some of the men that we think of as the biblical patriarchs. Jacob was one of those men. He was Abraham’s grandson through Isaac, and it was from the sons of Jacob that the tribes of Israel derived their names and lineage.
Jacob led an interesting life, and it’s clear from Genesis that God’s hand was upon him. Hosea gives us a snapshot of some of the key events that took place during Jacob’s life.
In Genesis 25:26, we’re told about Jacob’s birth. He was a twin, and his brother Esau was delivered first, but Jacob followed immediately after and was literally holding his brother’s heel with his hand as he was delivered. The name Jacob literally means “supplanter” or “heel-grabber”, which foreshadows a pattern of trickery or subversion that Jacob tended to follow later in life.
In Genesis 32, we’re told the unique story of a man appearing to Jacob followed by Jacob wrestling with Him and the man putting Jacob’s hip socket out of joint. In the midst of his striving against this man, it becomes clear to Jacob that he is actually wrestling with God, yet God has chosen to be merciful to him and not kill him. In that interaction, however, God changes Jacob’s name to Israel, a name that means “God perseveres” or “struggle with God.”
In Genesis 35, we’re told about God meeting with Jacob again. He reiterates that his name is now Israel and that it’s God’s desire to bless him. Jacob is to be fruitful and multiply. Kings will come from his lineage, particularly the King of kings, Jesus. Jacob is also told that the land God had given Abraham and Isaac would likewise be given to him.
Historically speaking, did God hide Himself from Israel? Of course He didn’t. He directly intervened in their lives to found them as a nation and call them unto Himself. We see examples of this going all the way back to Jacob’s life. But that history was being forgotten. The people were living as if these miraculous works had never taken place.
There’s a caution for us to consider as we think of these events as well. God has a history of getting our attention. Would we like to receive His intervention with a teachable spirit, or will we need Him to get our attention in a more disciplinary manner?
3. God has not left us without a prophetic voice.
“I spoke to the prophets; it was I who multiplied visions, and through the prophets gave parables. 11 If there is iniquity in Gilead, they shall surely come to nothing:
in Gilgal they sacrifice bulls; their altars also are like stone heaps on the furrows of the field. 12 Jacob fled to the land of Aram; there Israel served for a wife, and for a wife he guarded sheep. 13 By a prophet the Lord brought Israel up from Egypt, and by a prophet he was guarded.” (Hosea 12:10-13)
Throughout the history of Israel, God raised up prophets to speak with them on His behalf. The prophets would tell the people what God was planning to do before He did it, and they would would confront sin while inviting people to live in a right relationship with the Lord.
When the Son of God, Jesus Christ came to accomplish His earthly ministry, He did so as a prophet, priest, and king, but the people of that era struggled to make sense of what He was accomplishing among them and many rejected His teaching.
The woman said to him, “Sir, I perceive that you are a prophet.” (John 4:19)
“Is not this the carpenter, the son of Mary and brother of James and Joses and Judas and Simon? And are not his sisters here with us?” And they took offense at him. 4 And Jesus said to them, “A prophet is not without honor, except in his hometown and among his relatives and in his own household.” (Mark 6:3-4)
God attempted to speak to Israel in multiple ways throughout many generations, but they struggled to hear His voice. He even showed up in the flesh, yet they failed to honor Him. He’s even speaking to us right now, but I wonder if our failure to honor Him may also be clouding our ability to listen when He speaks.
There are a variety of ways God has spoken to humanity. God spoke to people directly via His audible voice. He has also spoken through prophets, angels, dreams, visions, and even through the natural world. God speaks to our conscience through the Holy Spirit as He leads, comforts, and guides us. Most notably, God has spoken to humanity through his Son, Jesus Christ.
In our era, the primary way God will speak to you is through His word. He will also speak directly to your conscience through the Holy Spirit who points us to the truth and reminds us of everything Jesus taught. At times, God will also speak to you through the people He brings in your life. But please understand that God never contradicts Himself. He will never tell you something that conflicts with what He has revealed in Scripture because He is a God of order, not a God of confusion.
If you want to grow adept at hearing God speak to you, don’t follow the example of ancient Israel. Don’t harden your heart against His counsel. Don’t ignore His Son through whom we receive redemption and forgiveness. Don’t walk out of step with His Spirit who is intentionally attempting to point you toward Jesus.
When we ignore God’s voice, we invite conflict, confusion, and depression into our lives. When we listen to God’s voice, we welcome His peace and guiding presence into our day-to-day journey through this world. Though Jesus, we’re granted a peace that surpasses our natural understanding, and in Him, our minds and hearts find rock-solid guidance to face whatever trials or opportunities may come our way.
© John Stange, 2025