Have you ever found yourself in a place where it’s been so loud that you couldn’t hear the person you were talking to? Perhaps a concert for one of your favorite bands or a busy airport with constant announcements over the intercom. Regardless of the setting, the more noise in our surroundings, the more difficult it is to hear someone speaking to us.

The same thing can happen when it comes to hearing from God. It may not be the physical environment that limits our hearing but rather the place we find ourselves spiritually. This can be a dangerous place because hearing God is a critical component of walking in His plans and purposes for our lives.

One person in the Bible who understood this was King Solomon. At the beginning of Solomon’s rule, God extended an incredible offer. He said to King Solomon, “What do you want? Ask, and I will give it to you!” Wow! That’s an amazing question coming from God, who can give anything. At this moment, Solomon could have asked for whatever he wanted. All the gold in the world, military dominance over the surrounding nations, or to become the greatest king who ever lived. Rather than being rash or self-centered, he asked for what he knew he desperately needed: the ability to hear from God. Verse 9 in The Message paraphrase says, “Here’s what I want: Give me a God-listening heart so I can lead your people well.” Solomon knew that if he could hear from God clearly, everything he needed in life would be taken care of.

Every believer has the opportunity to hear from God with regularity. That’s why a season of prayer and fasting is so important because it lowers the volume of the world and the voice of God becomes more easily heard. The question is never “Is God speaking?” But always, “Am I practicing a listening ear and leaning into what He’s saying?” Take time today to ask for a listening heart, and then quiet your heart and lean in to listen to what God has to say.

Scriptures

1 Kings 3:9 (MSG)
 “Here’s what I want: Give me a God-listening heart so I can lead your people well, discerning the difference between good and evil. For who on their own is capable of leading your glorious people?”