Have you ever paused to take in a view of a beautiful sunset, felt a refreshing breeze, or received a word of encouragement from someone at just the right moment?

These are a few of the ways God speaks to us.

Hearing God speak into our lives

I’ve had conversations with friends about hearing God speak into our lives. Usually someone wants to hear Him more but isn’t sure how to go about it.

God is speaking

Did you know God is always speaking to us? So it’s not whether or not God is speaking, but whether we hear Him when He does.

A simple way to listen and recognize God speaking

So today I wanted to share a simple way to listen for and recognize when God is speaking to us that will hopefully help you hear Him more in your own life as well.

Let me share with you one way I seek to hear God speak. Maybe you’ll find something that works for you too.

Listening to God

I spoke on a panel about listening to God and was asked what that looks like for me. I shared the example of a gift bag.

A gift bag

When we receive a gift bag, often two factors come into play:

Who it’s from

What’s in it

Maybe you, like me, at one time have been surprised to receive a gift bag and didn’t initially know who it was from. A quick glance at the tag tells us who it’s from. A look inside shows us what’s in it. Isn’t it true that sometimes there’s more than one gift inside?

Good gifts

How about when we recognize the name on the tag as someone who gives really good gifts? We’re excited to receive the gift before we even know what’s inside. And as we open it, we might even anticipate there to be more than one gift.

This is how I like to think of listening to God.

He gives good gifts and there’s always more if we keep looking.

God gives good gifts. There’s always more if we keep looking.

How to recognize God sent it

So back to the tag on the gift bag. It tells us who it’s from. So in order to know we’ve received a gift from God, we have to recognize that He’s the one who sent it.

How do we do that?

Practice and remembrance

Through practice and remembrance. We make a habit of listening for God and take note of the moments when He does say something to us. This provides us with a foundation of what that looks and sounds like. Then we’re more apt to look for or notice when it occurs.

Repetition brings familiarity

Repetition brings familiarity. The more we listen the more we’ll hear and discover various ways God speaks to us whether through circumstances, people, or our Bible, just to name a few.

Expectation invites opportunity

Expectation invites opportunity. If we approach our day expecting to hear from God, we have a greater chance of observing when He does.

A recent gift

Here’s one example:

Recently God showed me the gift of timing. One day my schedule unexpectedly changed which beautifully orchestrated running into a friend I hadn’t seen in a while. It also provided an opportunity to encourage someone. Rather than be disappointed with the change in my day, I saw the gift of this unforeseen schedule shift as a divine appointment.

Recognize the gift