The Voice that Breaks Through: How to Hear God amid the Pain
The diagnosis was stunning. I did not know how to digest the news I was receiving: I was losing my hearing.
Questions flooded my mind such as how would I keep working as a teacher if my hearing was failing? How would I be able to pay my bills? Would I ever be able to hear worship music again? It felt like there were so many questions with so little time to for answers.
Once I arrived home from the doctor’s office, I began crying out from the deepest recesses of my soul. I was engulfed with fear - and anger. I was doing everything God asked of me. Yet, here I was facing a life-altering situation wondering “Why me?”
Maybe this is where you are today.
The Voice
Perhaps your questions sound different than mine, but they feel just as heavy: When, why, and where are you God? Maybe it is difficult for you to experience his peace and presence. Maybe it is hard for you to decipher his voice from the pain - or hear him at all. Friend, you are not alone.
Amid my angst, fear, and disappointment, God led me to Psalm 29:3-4, “The voice of the Lord is over the waters; the God of glory thunders, the Lord thunders over the mighty waters. The voice of the Lord is power; the voice of the Lord is majestic.” In those very raw and fear-filled moments, God whispered, “No matter what happens, you will always hear me above all.”
Above the diagnosis, we will hear him.
Above the loneliness, we will hear him.
Above the divorce, we will hear him.
Above the grief, we will hear him.
Above all, we will hear him.
While God’s voice is clear and can be above all, there are ways we can prepare our hearts to hear his voice above all else.
How to Hear
1) Cry out
God hears our every breath; he will hear our cry as well. He is not angry at our disappointment, fear, or anxiety. He hears our cries for mercy (Psalm 143:1) and cries go before him (Psalm 18:6). His comfort and strength may not look as we imagine, but it will come.
2) Trust
In our woundedness and weariness, God’s voice is still powerful and majestic. The very voice that spoke through a burning bush (Exodus 3:2-4), awakened Samuel in the night (1 Samuel 3:1-14), and called Lazarus from the dead (John 11:38-43) is the same voice that cuts through the most deafening trials in our lives. It is a voice that transcends our pain and carries us through the storms we are facing. We can trust in the Lord, not leaning on our understanding, but trusting him to make our paths straight (Prov. 3:5-6)
3) Surrender
While we cannot predict how long our pain will last, we can rest in this: God is everlasting to everlasting (Psalm 90:2). Through our surrender of our own will, we can hear God’s voice when it is as a small whisper or like rolling thunder. His words are always available, always discernible, and always enough. However, we must be willing to listen. In being still, in surrendering, we can know that he is God (Psalm 46:10).
Final Thoughts
No matter where we are in life, what diagnosis we have recieved, what heartache we face, we can know that God hears our cries. We can trust that he will speak to us above all the chaos. As we surrender, we can rest in knowing he is our God that rises above it all so that we may draw near to him and him to us (James 4:8)
Challenge Questions:
1) In what areas of your life do you need to hear God?
2) Sometimes it is hard to hear God amid our pain. How can crying out, trusting, and surrendering draw you near to him today? Practice a way to hear him today.
3) Being real and honest with God is not a sin. It is part of our humanity. Read the prayer below. When you are ready, implement it as much as you need to to hear God above all.
Lord, I am ______(fill in blank with your feeling). I want to hear you above my______(write your struggle). I pray that I can experience you as you know I can receive it. Let my heart, mind, and soul be ready to hear your voice.
Amen.