t is one thing to speak to God. It’s another thing to listen. When we listen to God, we receive guidance from the Holy Spirit.

A few friends have told me that early in life they were given a clear sense of when God was speaking to them. They learned to recognize certain movements of heart and mind as being the voice of God the way children learn to recognize the voice of their mother. This was such a natural part of life that my friends did not reflect much about it.

But that is not my experience. I have never heard an audible voice from God, and I did not grow up with an intuitive discernment as to when God was communicating with me. In fact, I have always tended to be suspicious of people who speak easily of such things.

I have come to believe that this suspicion is not altogether a good thing. I realize now that if I am to have a relationship with God that is in any sense personal, I must be open to the possibility that sometimes God does speak directly to me.

Through the centuries, Christians have given different names to this phenomenon. In his journal, George Fox wrote about the Lord’s “opening” a truth to him—by which he meant that God had spoken directly, though not necessarily audibly, to his mind. John Calvin spoke of the “inner testimony” of the Holy Spirit. St. Ignatius talked of “movements” of the soul—thoughts, feelings, or desires that could in fact be gifts given directly to us by God to move us closer to him.

These promptings may come as conviction of sin, and assurance of God’s love, or a call to action. But they are crucial to the Spirit-guided life. We must learn to listen for the still, small voice.

We can all learn how to be open to the promptings of the Spirit. They are not reserved for the elite or for leaders only or for “important people.” They are not reserved for people who work as pastors or missionaries. They are not reserved for people who are “more spiritual” than you. The Holy Spirit can and will give direction to us if we desire it….God may be speaking to you while you “remain ignorant” of the fact that this very thought is coming from God. So it is possible that God may speak to us and our thoughts may be guided by him without our knowing that it is God’s guidance.

How do we pursue the guidance of the Spirit? Gentle receptiveness, this ordering our minds on more than one level at once, is a skill that can be learned. For instance, if we have a significant decision to make tomorrow, we can stop and ask for wisdom. If we have some discretionary time unexpectedly open up, we can pause and ask God, “Do you have anything for me to do?” Then we can “listen” for a moment, and if no prompting comes, we simply do what seems wisest. Each time we greet someone tomorrow, we can inwardly ask the Spirit, “How can I respond to this person? Do you want to speak or work through me?” This kind of listening has been vital to Christ-followers throughout the centuries.

 

So let us try an experiment. This week, as you are interacting with people, listen for the prompting of the Spirit. As you listen to people, listen also for what the Spirit is saying. The Holy Spirit will lead you to be with people as Jesus would be with them if he were in your place.