How to Talk With God

How to talk with God, fluently (I don’t mean vocabulary etc.)

To speak a language fluently requires more than knowing a vocabulary list.  When one learns another language you have no choice but to think in your native tongue and then translate the thought before speaking in the new language. I’ve heard from language students that when they can begin thinking in the new language they’re becoming fluent.

There may not be a specific language required to talk with God, but there are still milestones of fluency.

Let me try to explain.  When I first began trying to experience two way communication with God, I had zero success.  It was as if I were speaking broken English to someone who couldn’t hear or speak.  Obviously something was missing in the relationship.

At some point I gave up.  I didn’t give up on communicating with God nor did I give up any faith in God.  What I did give up was all confidence in what I thought I knew about God.

All my efforts to talk to God were based upon my current knowledge and understanding of God and it wasn’t working.  I was pretty sure there wasn’t anything wrong with God. Safe bet there.  Therefore there must be something amiss with me – or more specifically, the beliefs and ideas I held about God and what was required to talk with God.  So I gave up on those ideas and started with as clean a slate as I could.

Now that’s a desperate measure, but I was a desperate man.

While I won’t tell you to do exactly what I did, I can tell you this: If you choose it you won’t be disappointed!

After some time I received an amazing revelation of grace.  It was a spontaneous burst of thoughts coming to me unsolicited. I say unsolicited because even though I was practicing stillness, I wasn’t thinking about grace or trying to figure it out.

Even though I knew this was God speaking to me I still wanted to hear an audible voice.  It was much later that I accepted God’s method and gave up on wanting to hear and audible voice. (You think God’s method might be good? Probably!)  I’m still open to hearing an audible voice but I’m understanding the advantages to God’s way more and more so it’s not important to me anymore.

After that experience and several more I found Mark Virkler’s 4 Keys to Hearing God’s Voice and realized that it really makes sense to have pen and paper close to hand when seeking communication with God.  If you aren’t familiar with Mark’s presentation please go check it out.  There’s a free MP3 you may download if you wish.

So a good “How To” answer would be:

• Give up your notions about how God should speak to you.  Be open to the idea that a spontaneous burst or flow of thought is God’s voice.
• Wait in God’s presence in stillness.  This will likely take practice. Someone said “Silence is the language of God” So if you’re going to become fluent in silence – practice.  There are numerous tips on being still to hear God throughout this site.
• Have a pen and notebook in hand.  If you capture the flow of thoughts on paper you can go back and read them later and have greater recall of the experience.
• If you have a specific topic you wish to talk with God about, write it at the top of a blank page.  Then wait.  You may wish to read a scripture and put yourself into the picture as Virkler advises.  Realize that you can’t force communication with God.  Come before God in humility and God will speak.
• Trust.  Trust God throughout all your efforts to hear His voice.

Doubts may arise and that’s okay.  There’s no need to doubt God.  If there’s a block it’s going to be on your end.  You likely have something you’re holding onto that’s getting in the way.  Let it go and let God!

Okay, now it’s your turn!  Share your thoughts and comments below!

Related Blogs

• How to Hear From God « Health Articles Library
• How to Hear God – You Can Hear God, God Wants You To Learn How To Hear Him
• Communicating with God(s) « William Buell's Blog
• In His Footsteps…Walking In The Way of Jesus « The Women and The Word
• God-Centered Self-Talk (1 Corinthians 1:7-9) « GeorgePWood.com