3. God is everywhere, speaking all the time, in different ways. I can learn to hear God in a variety of ways. 

(Before looking at the questions below, take a few minutes to think about this statement. Invite Jesus to speak to you about what He would like you to notice.) 

What are some ways that you have learned to “hear” God that don’t involve words?

If God is in fact speaking all the time, what might keep you from hearing?

If God’s actions—in creating, sustaining, and providing for all life, including yours—are a way He is speaking, what might His message be?

Many people sense God’s presence when they are outdoors. What are some things you have learned about God when you are in creation?

What one thing would you like most to talk to God about? How do you think God feels about this desire?

The question should not be, “Does God speak?” We know He does! God is “speaking” constantly, in all places, all the time, in many ways. Psalm 19 says, “The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands. Day after day they pour forth speech; night after night they reveal knowledge. They have no speech, they use no words; no sound is heard from them. Yet their voice goes out into all the earth, their words to the ends of the world (verses 1-4).

God’s voice can be prolific in our lives if we learn to notice it. Our bias is to expect God to speak in a way that meets our expectations. We live in a world of words—verbal and written communication—and as a result, we expect God to speak to us with words.

God does speak with words, mostly through our thoughts, but this is not the only way God communicates to us. If we limit ourselves and God to only communicating using words, we may have limited interactions and a restricted relationship.

When we open ourselves to the many other ways that God communicates, we can begin to “hear” much more than words: feelings, impressions, observations, understandings, and so on. Like the psalmist, gazing into a star-filled night, we can join in saying, How great thou art, Oh Lord. How small I am but how great is Your love that you would share Your universe with me. Speech is inadequate to convey what God says in a millisecond like this.