Crowd of Voices

“My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me.”

John 10:27, ESV

As the mom of five kids, I was always calling their names throughout the day even though I still mixed up their names (not a good idea to name them with all J’s!). From the time they were born and resting on my chest until they grew up as adults—they have heard me say their name.

It paid off mostly when they were in a crowd of people at school games, and I would yell out their names. And with all the noise—music blasting, people talking, volleyballs bumping, basketballs bouncing—they always turned their heads when they heard my voice calling out their names. Crazy thing is that it also worked in the opposite, I’d be out somewhere, and a kid would yell “Mom!”. Without hesitation, I would turn my head even though I knew it couldn’t be my kid!

What’s not so crazy is that God can speak our names, and we can hear His voice. Of course, not audibly (or at least in my experience)—I would hear “Crystal” in a small, quiet inner voice in my heart and mind that would be separate from my own thinking. It didn’t happen overnight, but over time I learned to be quiet and truly listen to what God was speaking to me personally.

There are a lot of voices and sometimes it may be difficult to know which voice I’m hearing. The best and most clear way God speaks to me is first through His word (the Bible). I could read it  on my own, hear a preacher speak His word, or even hear the Word in Christian music. The ‘rhema’ word I hear is almost always specifically related to something going on in my life and I would sense the confirmation of the Spirit in my heart at the same time.

It sounds way more mystical than what it really is…I’m not a prophet of any sort. I simply take God at His word in faith that when He speaks, I can hear Him as my heavenly Father. The only time I had difficulty hearing from God was when I was intentionally doing the wrong thing. In my sin, I wasn’t hardly trying to hear from God either because I expected harsh and judgmental words. Yet, in truth, He was always speaking “Come home. Be healed. I love you.”

God speaks to all His children. He has something to say to us if we stop and listen in faith. We may not always hear perfectly what He’s saying—but we can pray, fast, or seek godly counsel rather than deny His words to our hearts.