Hard of Hearing by Jeff Beman

Psalm 66:17-20 17 “I cried to him with my mouth, and high praise was on[a] my tongue. [b]
18 If I had cherished iniquity in my heart, the Lord would not have listened. 19 But truly God has listened, he has attended to the voice of my prayer. 20 Blessed be God, because he has not rejected my prayer or removed his steadfast love from me!”

Thanks to many years maintaining and flying in turbo-jet helicopters, and being in a high noise
environment nearly constantly, I have some significant hearing loss, mostly I can’t hear high frequency sound. It makes parts of my life very difficult.

But today I want to discuss a different kind of hearing difficulty. Sometimes it is very hard for me to hear God, even when I think I am listening very hard! Recently, this became somewhat of a problem for me. I was waiting for God to guide me on how I should decide on a certain issue, but I could hear nothing! Repeated prayer for discernment seemed to get no answer at all.

Psalm 66:17-20 tells us God listens to our sincere prayers. And that he does not ignore our prayers. So why can’t I hear any answers? While there are lots of ways to trip yourself up, I finally decided (through counsel and helpful guidance of others) that I had been expecting Him to answer me in certain ways and he was speaking to me in a different way.

So, with thanks to those others, and to kristinebolt.com, here are some signs that God is speaking to you:
1. Is God speaking to you through his word? (Look for repeated verses or devotional themes)
2. Is God speaking to you audibly? (You won’t miss this one!)
3. Is God using other people to give you wise counsel? (Be sure to check their advice against God’s word.)
4. Is God speaking to you through visions or dreams? (He may be warning, encouraging, or
instructing you.)
5. Is God speaking to you through an “Inner Knowing”? (Is the indwelling of the Holy Spirit trying to guide you?)
6. Is God clearing or blocking your path? (Look for sometimes scary opportunities and persistently disappointing obstructions.)

Remember, though! God can speak in any manner he chooses. He is God, after all, and not limited to these six!

Father, we praise you for providing us the ability to come directly to you in prayer and supplication. We praise you for the gift of your son atoning for our sins. And Father, we thank you for the guidance you provide. May we always listen for you! AMEN