Listening to God's VoiceSample

Hearing Through Others

“Brother Saul, the Lord—Jesus, who appeared to you on the road as you were coming here—has sent me so that you may see again and be filled with the Holy Spirit.” Acts 9:17 (NIV)

After his encounter with Jesus on the road to Damascus, Paul lost his sight and was confused. God spoke through Ananias and gave him the instruction to go and minister to Paul. Ananias was an ordinary disciple who played a pivotal role in the life of the newly converted Apostle Paul. God spoke to Ananias in a vision, giving him specific instructions to seek out Saul and lay his hands on him so he could regain his sight and be filled with the Holy Spirit. Through Ananias, God brought healing and further direction to Paul’s life.

This passage beautifully illustrates that God often speaks to us and works through other people. Ananias was fearful of approaching the notorious persecutor of Christians. (Acts 9:13-14) Yet, he obeyed God’s voice, demonstrating courage and trust. Through Ananias’s obedience, Saul’s physical and spiritual blindness was healed, and he was launched into his extraordinary ministry of preaching the Gospel to the ends of the world.

Hearing God’s voice through others requires humility and discernment. It means being open to receiving from those around us, even when they are unexpected sources. It also necessitates testing what we hear against the truth of Scripture and the leading of the Holy Spirit within us. Not every voice we encounter speaks for God, but He often uses the Body of Christ to communicate His will and purpose. These moments, seemingly ordinary, can be God’s way of guiding, comforting, or directing us.

Ananias’s story reminds us to be both willing vessels to speak God's truth to others and attentive listeners to the voices He may use to speak to us. Let us cultivate a sensitivity to the ways God communicates through His people, recognizing that He often orchestrates divine encounters and uses ordinary individuals to accomplish extraordinary things in our lives and in the lives of others.

Reflection

God often speaks to us through other believers. This could be through a sermon, a Bible study, a word of encouragement, or even a gentle correction. Are we open to hearing God's voice through the people He places in our lives? Do we value the wisdom and counsel of godly individuals?

Prayer

Lord, thank you for the community of believers you’ve given me. Help me to be open to hearing your voice through their words and actions. Give me discernment to recognize your truth spoken through others and humility to receive it. Amen.