Learning How to Hear God

I know to many people the concept of "hearing from God" makes them uncomfortable. Maybe it sounds like a wishy-washy mystical experience. Maybe the thought of people claiming they have "heard from God" just sounds like a way to manipulate others. Or maybe it just sounds impossible to you: it's something that happened to special people in the Bible but doesn't happen anymore.

I totally get all those concerns - and there's a part of me that shares them - but I still believe that hearing from God is not only possible but something that followers of Jesus should pursue. From the time I was a young Christian I felt that if we were supposed to have a "personal relationship" with God that it would need to be a two-way thing: we communicate to Him and somehow He communicates to us. That's just how relationships work.

Plus there's the biblical evidence. While it's not realistic to expect everything that happens in the bible (e.g. flaming bushes and walking on water) to happen nowadays, surely it's significant that essentially every main character in the bible experiences hearing from God.

This is not to say hearing from God is easy for me or that I even understand it, but it's something that I pursue and truly want.

Everything I just said is just a preface to my main point: Pete Greig came out with a new book! It's called, unsurprisingly, "How to Hear God: A Simple Guide for Normal People". I haven't read it yet but it's definitely on my to-read list! Pete is the founder of the 24/7 Prayer movement and from what I know of him he strikes me as a trustworthy and wise person on the subject of prayer.

For a taste of what the book is like you can watch the video above. Those of you from non-charismatic/Pentecostal backgrounds may get extra nervous when he speaks of speaking prophetically, but I encourage you to push through and just give it a chance :)