Be Still and Know That I Am God - How to Hear God's Voice By Becoming Still

One of the greatest challenges in communicating with God is stilling your mind.

You may ask "What does stilling your mind have to do with communication with God"?

Here's the thing. We all have ideas about God. We have expectations about God. We expect ways in which God shows up, speaks, works, moves, etc.

These expectations are the result of religious training, societal training, and parental training. Then along the way we pick up our own unique ideas relating to God.

All this baggage colors our experience with communicating with God.

You could compare it to communicating with a friend. If you have a strong expectation of what they're going to say and they say something different, many times you hear what you expected - not what they actually stated.

Your response gives you away and you discover that there has been a breakdown in communication.

It's no different with God.

If you go into a relationship with God with all your expectations about how God will speak, what God will say, etc... What do you think you will hear?

Exactly what you expected to hear. Then you may go on your way feeling proud of your understanding of God because He told you exactly what you knew He would!

There's a marvelous scripture that helps us to understand God a little better.

Isaiah 55:8-9

8 For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the LORD.
9 For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts. (KJV)

Whenever you notice yourself expecting God to do or say this or that you may want to reconsider.

There is always the possibility that your expectations are as far from reality as the heavens are above the earth.

Once you still your mind, picture yourself sitting in the presence of God. Don't pretend to know what God will look like. Just allow whatever comes up to be as it is. You may notice the urge to tweak the picture based on your expectations and notions. Try leaving it as it is.

Then you may want to ask a question - try communicating with God. The answer will most likely come in the form of spontaneous, free flowing thoughts - you will notice that they're not your own.

We speak of hearing God's voice when really very few people actually hear an audible voice. Most often it's simply this flow of thoughts - thoughts that haven't been generated by your own mind's analyzing and deducing.

It's quite possible that you've heard God's voice before but your expectations prevented you from recognizing it. Remember, according to the Christ, it is children that enter the kingdom. If you are struggling with how to hear from God -you're likely trying to hard. If a child can do it, so can you.

Children just have the advantage of not having so many expectations.

Scripture advises: Be still and know that I am God - still those expectations. Expect to hear God's voice.

Yes you can!