How interesting that I was asked to write about hearing God right now. You see, for the first time in two or three years, I am not hearing God at the moment. Allow me to explain.

For as long as I can remember, there’s been a place for hearing the Lord. I just haven’t always been sure that place was mine. Growing up in the church, I was taught that when you really needed to hear from the Lord, you went up front after the church service and got your word. To be fair, I don’t mean to paint a negative picture of the procedure. Rather, it was the normal I knew.

It wasn’t until I came to Bethel School of Supernatural Ministry that I learned the truth of the verse “You may all prophesy.” It took some convincing before I stepped out. My recollection of most of the first two years of ministry school is thinking, “I just need to receive. Then I’ll be filled up and have something to say.”

Nearing third year, I became more curious. I was affirmed when I stepped out to prophesy on occasion and thought to myself, “Maybe I can do it too.” I started to think more and more about my reasoning for coming to Bethel. In large part, I decided to make the journey because I wanted a more personal relationship with God. My name means, “The Lord hears,” but what does that mean? If He does hear, doesn’t that mean that He would be talking too?

It shocked me when I was selected to be mentored by our prophetic ministry director for third year. Me, who had given a handful of prophesies his whole life. I remember showing up for ministry shortly afterward. “I’ll sit on the sideline and see how it’s done,” I told him. Then suddenly, I got a thought which seemed like it was for the couple receiving ministry. I decided to jump in and was affirmed.

The more I stepped out and shared, the more my confidence grew. Meanwhile, God drew me back to journaling. Previously, it was introspective and unhealthy. Led by the Lord, this time was different. I received frequent confirmation and my confidence in hearing His voice soared. It became increasingly intimate.

Then, all of a sudden, I couldn’t hear anything. What happened? Here is a summary that you can ponder if you are in a similar place. From experienced friends, I realized first that God speaks differently at times. Silence is often a sign of approval and contentment. Second, if you’re afraid of not hearing Him, relax. That could well mean that you don’t have to worry about not hearing Him. He sees the desires of our hearts and knows that you want to hear. Another prophetic voice pointed out that I’m in a honeymoon season (literally) and that this is a time of rest and enjoyment. Settling down, I realize that I have actually been hearing him. These days, I’m hearing more of God’s affirmation in the moment, and that’s something I’ll take any day!

By Sam Miller