Can You Hear God's Voice?

Freeimages.com/Andrea Kratzenberg
All Rights Reserved

I often wonder what Mary was doing when the Angel Gabriel approached her. She must have had a heart and mind ready to hear God's word. How can I ready myself to hear what the Lord may be saying to me?

Prepare to Hear
My first thought is that Mary was "full of grace" and "without sin." Although I can not achieve the perfect state of grace that the Blessed Mother possessed, I can go to the Sacrament of Reconciliation. If I empty my soul of sin and open myself to God's grace, I may hear His voice more clearly. Spending time in front of the Blessed Sacrament, reading Sacred Scripture and spending time in prayer may prepare me to hear the Lord.

A productive avenue to discern the Lord's will for us is the Sacrament of Reconciliation or confession. When we are in confession, we are whispering in the ear of Christ. The guidance the priest gives us is from the Lord. I have received some of my clearest direction while receiving this sacrament. On one occasion I was told by my priest to just "try harder." Simple, but true confirmation of what I needed to do.

Look for Signal Graces
Still one may wonder, "How can I know what God is telling me to do?" I suppose the easy answer is, we don't know. Having said that though, I believe that we are often given the grace to know what direction our lives should take. Sometimes the answer from God is very clear, as clear as signpost. In fact, it may be a signpost, a bumper sticker or a billboard. We call these signal graces.

[Tweet "We are often given the grace to know what direction our lives should take."]

A signal grace is a sign that we see that gives us an answer or confirmation that we have been heard. My husband once experienced an amazing signal grace. He was "in the desert," lamenting a difficult situation. He fell to his knees and whispered to God, "I don't know if you even hear me." Just then, he looked up at the sky; the moon was above the planet Jupiter and a shooting star rushed between them, creating a celestial cross in the sky. He knew that God was there.

Listen to God's Word
Other times we receive confirmation from reading the Bible. My husband and I were scheduled to give a talk on Natural Family Planning. We went to confession, went to Mass, spent time in front of the Blessed Sacrament and prayed about the material we had prepared for the talk. I was still quite nervous, so I pulled out my Bible and flipped it open. The passage I came to said, "The spirit of the Lord spoke through me; His word was on my tongue" (2 Sm 23:2). I knew that was confirmation from the Lord that we would say what He willed us to. I had nothing to worry about.

Quiet our Hearts
Finally, we sometimes hear God's voice in the silence of our hearts. In order to do this, we must be still and listen. After a fruitful meditation I felt the Lord specifically asking me to "Pray for a fruitful womb." Strange words, I thought. I don't speak like that. My husband was not particularly open to more children at that time. So, I talked back to God, still not really sure if He had truly spoken to me or not. I told God that HE would have to change my husband's heart! (A little cheeky, I know.) Later that evening, my husband announced that he felt God calling us to have more children!! I no longer doubt when I hear that little voice in my heart. I am sure that the Lord speaks to me that way sometimes. I just have to trust Him.

Wait for Confirmation
A wise priest once told me; if you feel God is telling you to act, don't, at least not right away. Pray and ask God to confirm the message. When three separate sources have confirmed the action, then proceed. This reminds me of Peter being told to, "Feed my sheep," three times by Jesus, (Jn. 21:15-17) and the message received three times in Peter's dream about spreading the faith to the Gentiles. (Acts 11:7-10)

Be Patient
In some circumstances, finding God's will in our lives takes time. We must be patient and wait for His answer. Once in a while, His answer to us is, "No." Then we must just accept it and move on. Still other times, we feel quite certain of His will, but we do not want to comply. It is then we must trust His will and act on faith, not on feeling. Our feelings can be deceiving, but by measuring what action we will take, considering the teachings of the Church, and preparing our hearts by utilizing the sacraments, we cannot go wrong.

"What then, is more precious than to be in the hand of God? For God is Life and Light, and those who are in God's hands are in life and light" — St. John of Damascus.