Hearing God’s Voice (02/15/2026)

Morning Talk: chuck smith, jr.
“. . . the Father who sent me has himself borne witness about me. His voice you have never heard, his form you have never seen, and you do not have his word abiding in you, for you do not believe the one whom he has sent. You search the Scriptures because you think that in them you have eternal life; and it is they that bear witness about me, yet you refuse to come to me that you may have life” John 5:37-40

Intro: We can’t help noticing, that the majority of Jesus’ conflicts

Were with the most religious people in Israel;
– those who believed they had God all sorted out,
• that they owned the Scriptures, owned the temple, owned God
◦ their dogmatism blinded them to what was essential
◦ to actually know God, and to love him and others
• and that faith is more important than “beliefs”
◦ because your beliefs don’t do you any good if you don’t trust them
– Jesus worked at opening their minds,
• but their resistance to him won out
– I’ve read a short excerpt from an argument that fills most of chapter 5
• and in this excerpt, I want to focus on one line”
“His voice you have never heard”
◦ what was missing from their religious life, was direct communication with God
• they could read the Scriptures, yet not hear God’s voice
◦ they had the map, but were still making wrong turns
– from the time Israel left Egypt, God’s message to them was
“Listen to my voice, and do all that I command you. So shall you be my people, and I will be your God” (Jer. 11:4)
• it wasn’t enough to have and to read God’s word, through it, they were to hear God’s voice
◦ their interaction with his word had to be personal
• but that had not happened, and they never heard his voice

What I feel like doing right now is complain and criticize

I’ve had Bible verses thrown at me my whole life
– most of the time, it was by people who had no idea
• what those verses actually meant,
• that the verses didn’t apply to me or my situation
• and in their biblical context, the verses meant something different
– and even though there is way too much mindless quoting of scripture going on today,
• it would not be encouraging or helpful for me to go off on them
• but what might be helpful, would be to talk about,
◦ how we can learn to hear and know God’s voice

God is always speaking and through all sorts of different channels

One of God’s most common means of communication is through nature
“The heavens declare the glory of God,
and the sky above proclaims his handiwork.
Day to day pours out speech,
and night to night reveals knowledge” (Ps. 19:1-2)
– sometimes God speaks to a person in a dream
• or we hear him during a crisis, a loss, or illness
– but God’s voice is heard most often and most reliably in scripture

But if that’s so, why weren’t Jesus’ religious antagonists hearing his voice?
– because they weren’t reading the scriptures to hear him
• they were reading for information, doctrine, wisdom, or rules
• they read words on a page, without hearing the voice of the Author

You and I can tune into God’s voice every day

I realize that not everyone has the opportunity I have
– all my adult life has been wrapped up in the Bible
• I have the pleasure of being able to read it every day
◦ and not only read it, but spend time mulling it over
• God has something to say to me every day
◦ not always what I want to hear, but always what I need
– the way he speaks is hardly ever the same
• at times, God’s voice thunders
◦ other times, it is a gentle whisper
• so I have to be prepared to receive it however it comes
◦ sometimes straining to make sure I heard him correctly

I don’t have a step-by-step method for hearing God’s voice

I’m skeptical of that sort of thing when it comes to relational issues
– what I have are random thoughts,
• and I hope you find something useful in them
◦ something that will help you hear God speak to you

For me, it is very important to settle in before I begin to read
I slow my breath and pay attention to my mind and body
– I must be able to first find rest in God’s presence
• physical agitation can be a serious distraction
– so I notice, and if I’m antsy or uncomfortable, I make adjustments
“I have calmed and quieted my soul,
like a weaned child with its mother;
like a weaned child is my soul within me” (Ps. 131:2)

Again, for me, it is important to discern God’s presence
I won’t pretend that this is always easy
– each of us may have to find what works best for ourselves
• I try notice any tension in typical places like my jaw, neck, or shoulders
• maybe I’ll move them a bit, or tense those muscles for a few seconds and then relax them
– then as I inhale I say, “Here” and bring awareness to the space around my body
• and I exhale and say, “Now,” bringing awareness to how this present moment feels

I mentioned last week, before I begin to read, I listen to hear:
“I will meet you at the entrance, and speak to you there”
– God said that to Moses, not only about the entrance to tent
• but also when he entered the most holy place of the tent,
◦ and stood before the “ark of the covenant”
• the benefit I enjoy from doing this, is that when I read,
◦ I am not merely reading words on a page,
◦ it’s more like I am experiencing what I’m reading
– if I don’t prepare myself like this – if I just start reading,
• I feel the pressure of working at trying to get something out of the Bible
◦ it seems that it’s up to my mind to find a meaning or a message
◦ so it’s not like listening to God for what he has to say to me

I may have a specific concern or question I want God to address
I never insist on a response – I need whatever God chooses to give
– in fact, what matters most is the awareness God gives me of his voice and of himself
• that I am conscious of him speaking to me
– then, I’m not simply learning something, I’m waking up!
• in fact, I may be left speechless, because I have no language for this kind of experience
– in Psalm 34, David said,
“Oh, taste and see that the LORD is good!”
• our experience could also become,
“Oh, look and see that the LORD is good!,” or “Oh, touch and see that the LORD is good!,” or “Oh, hear and discover that the LORD is good!”
• how ever the moment comes to us as we read, is what determines how we receive it

When I don’t understand something, I admit it
The same is true if I read something that bothers or upsets me
– the Scriptures don’t have to make me feel good
• I just have to be there
• and afterward, I’m always appreciative that I was there
for whatever it was that God wanted to show or give me
– when I react negatively to something in scripture, it may be God’s Spirit poking a sore spot in my soul
• so I always need to be paying attention

By the way, this is a conversation, a dialogue
I want to hear God’s voice, but he also wants to hear me

Sometimes I get an intuition
An thought or idea will come to me, as if out of thin air
– last week, reading Mark’s gospel, around chapter eight it came to me that he wrote it in the pattern of a “ring structure”
• I had to stop and check (with AI) to see if anyone else had seen this too
• turns out that several biblical scholars saw it long before I did
(only I think my observations are more accurate–ahem)

Don’t be surprised if you get the same message as in a previously reading
We don’t always learn perfectly in our first exposure to a passage
– and frequently there are multiple dimensions to a truth

I always write down what I received
Whether a lot or a little
– and then I also sit in silence for awhile and absorb all of it

Conclusion: Do you see what I’ve been talking about?

This is not just “reading our Bibles” – it’s an ongoing encounter with God
We go into scripture and find Jesus–and there in scripture Jesus finds us