How to Hear From God in Bible Study
Have you ever read the Bible and it just seemed like words on a page? Then you ask yourself, “How do I hear from God?” Well, you are not alone. After asking myself that question many times I went in search of an answer. Here is what I found.
The Holy Spirit helps us hear from God’s word. When we read the Bible with vulnerability, patience, and humility we can listen for God’s voice.
Importance of Bible study
First, we need to ask ourselves, why is studying the Bible so important? Well, the Bible is how God reveals who He is, what He is like, and how He works.
The Bible is one of the ways that God decided to reveal Himself to us. The Bible is full of eye witness encounters with God that reveal exactly who He is. Jesus even taught that Scripture reveals who He is as God’s Son and our Savior (Luke 24:27).
Scripture also reveals what God is like. Throughout the Bible we learn that God is compassionate, slow to anger, abounding in love, and a just judge (Exodus 34:6-7). The testimony of God’s word makes evident that God loves us, cares for us, and is there for us.
Thus, the Bible also reveals how God works. God loves us and wants to have a relationship with us. But our sin has severed all possibility of a relationship with God. Graciously, God had a plan to send Jesus so that anyone who believes in him will have eternal life (John 3:16-17).
So, we study the Bible to get to know God better. But we can also study the Bible to get to know ourselves better. The Bible was written by humans for humans. Through Scripture we can better understand human nature.
God’s word reveals our nature as a fallen people in a broken world. The bible doesn’t hide from the sins, mistakes, and failures of its heroes. Rather, it seems to embrace it and force us to come to grips with our own shortcomings.
Studying the Bible is important, So, if you don’t know how to study the Bible, then I’ve written some excellent guides on how to study the Bible using different methods of Bible study. Simply, find one that works for you and give it a try.
How God speaks through Bible study
Now that we know why and how to study the Bible, let’s take a moment to discover how God speaks through Bible study. How does God speak through His word?
The author of Hebrews begins his books by saying,
In the past God spoke to our ancestors through the prophets at many times and in various ways, but in these last days he has spoken to us by His son, whom he appointed heir of all things, and through whom also he made the universe.
Hebrews 1:1-2
That is exactly what the Bible is: it’s a collection of eyewitness stories of Jesus and his followers. Of the prophets of old, their writings and stories.
Isaiah writes about God’s word,
…so is my word that goes out of my mouth: It will not return to me empty, but will accomplish what I desire and achieve the purpose for which I sent it.
Isaiah 55:11
So, God clearly speaks to us through His word, the Bible. It has the effect that God wants it to have in our lives. What is that affect?
The author of Hebrews tells us,
For the word of God is alive and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart.
Hebrews 4:12
And Paul writes to Timothy,
All Scripture is God breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the servant of God may be equipped for every good work.
2 Timothy 3:16
So, Scripture’s purpose is to expose us, make us vulnerable before God so that we recognize our need for a Savior and our dependency on God. Then, Scripture’s purpose is to teach us, rebuke us, correct us, and train us to do right, to live like Christ. Why? So, that we can serve God.
But how does God speak through His word? When we read or study the Bible we are reading God’s words. So, by simply reading the words on the page it’s going to have an effect in our life. But only to a degree.
Then there are moments when we read or study the Bible where we have these “Aha” moments. Everything clicks and we see things that just make sense. That’s because God speaks to us through the Holy Spirit as we read His word.
Role of The Holy Spirit in Bible Study
So, what is the role of the Holy Spirit in Bible Study?
John writes in His gospel about the Holy Spirit,
But very truly I tell you, it is for your good that I am going away. Unless I go away, the Advocate will not come to you; but if I go, I will send him to you. When he comes, he will prove the world to be in the wrong about sin and righteousness and judgment: about sin, because people do not believe in me; about righteousness, because I am going to the Father, where you can see me no longer; and about judgment, because the prince of this world now stands condemned.
John 16:7-11
The word here translated Advocate is the Greek word Paraclete. This word can be translated as Helper and carries with it the idea of someone who is called to for aid and/or encouragement. So, the Holy Spirit can aid us in Bible Study. John continues by writing,
I have much more to say to you, more than you can now bear. But when he, the Spirit of truth, comes, he will guide you into all the truth. He will not speak on his own; he will speak only what he hears, and he will tell you what is yet to come. He will glorify me because it is from me that he will receive what he will make known to you.
John 16:12-14
The Holy Spirit’s role in Bible study is to teach us and reveal to us the truths about Jesus and God found in the Bible. So, we can think of the Holy Spirit as our own personal Bible tutor. He is there to remind us of Jesus’ teachings and help us apply them to our lives today.
Our Approach to Hearing from God in Bible study
What’s the best approach to hearing from God in Bible Study? There are four qualities that we can have when reading and studying the Bible that will help us hear from God.
Vulnerability
First, we should be vulnerable. Remember, the Bible exposes who we are before God (Hebrews 4:12). Therefore, we should be conscious of how we stand before God. God is holy. We are not. God is always just. We are not. God has all knowledge. We do not.
This vulnerability exposes us before God. God knows what we don’t understand about His word. And that’s okay, He’s willing to help. He knows we want to read it more and often fail, but He encourages us to keep trying and is happy when we do.
Humility
This vulnerability leads to the second attitude we should have when we reading the Bible if we want to hear from God, and that is humility. Vulnerability leads to humility.
Humility admits that we don’t have all the answers. We have things we need to learn. We have things we needed to be reminded of. That’s okay. When we are humble and admit that, then the Holy Spirit can teach us and remind us. Thus, we can hear from God.
So, we should pray in humility. Admit we don’t have it all together and seek the Holy Spirit to help us as we read and study the Bible. Ask Him to remind you of God’s truths, and have Him show you how to apply them to your life today.
Patience
Third, we need to have an attitude of patience. There are times when we read the Bible and we have these great “aha” moments where everything makes sense and a light bulb has come on.
We have a deeper understanding and love for God. One time I had one of these “aha” moments, and it was so exciting I was literally jumping up and down in excitement and amazement.
Then there are moments when we read the Bible and its just words on a page. You read a sentence and move on to the next. Sometimes, you may even forget what you read and have to go back. That’s okay. We should be patient when reading the Bible. God is still working and still speaking.
Expectation
Lastly, we should have the attitude of expectation. Remember that God’s word does not return to Him empty. God’s word will do what God created it to do. So, we should read with expectation to hear from God. To learn more about Him, who He is, and how He works.
God is infinite. We can learn about God forever and ever. Our love for God can grow deeper and deeper. The more we learn, the more we fall in love with God, the more questions we have about Him. There’s always something new about God. We have eternity to explore the mysteries of God found in the Bible.
How to Listen for God in Bible
We’ve talked about how to approach hearing from God. What posture we need to be in to better discern His Spirit’s whispers. But, how do we actually listen for God’s voice?
God created the world and transformed it from chaos to order. God brought logic into the world. So, we can and should follow Bible study methods to help us discern what God is meaning and trying to say in a particular passage. But we also have the Author of Scripture Himself to talk to.
When reading and studying the Bible the Holy Spirit can help you see the big picture of a topic. It’s like the big picture comes together and you see connections and everything fits just perfectly.
It’s like putting the last piece into a puzzle, then stepping back and just marveling at the beauty of the picture. Reading the Bible can be like that sometimes. The Holy Spirit helps us put the puzzle together and we just have to step back and marvel at how great God is.
Then there are times when we read the Bible and a verse, word, or phrase just stands out. Something about it is just drawing our attention. That’s the Holy Spirit at work.
So, we can listen for God’s voice by seeking his meaning through Bible study methods and along the way the Holy Spirit will nudge us onto the correct path until we are walking by the Spirit in Christlikeness.
