How Do I Recognize His Call?

In Exodus 3:4, Moses heard God’s voice in a burning bush and in Isaiah 6, Isaiah saw God in a vision and heard Him speak. But these are exceptions when it comes to hearing the voice of God. We all hear God’s voice. Believers hear Him through the Holy Spirit and unbelievers hear Him through their consciences. No matter which way we hear Him, we know when He is talking to us, we know the sound of that quiet voice inside us that urges us to do or not do something.

Believers and unbelievers have the option of ignoring that inner voice, God gave us free will. However, if it is He who is calling, that voice will persistently tug on our hearts until we respond positively or repress it so deeply that we can usually ignore it. I know from experience that it’s better to respond positively because the alternative is to live with a nagging discomfort until we do. You see, God loves every one of us, whether we are believers or not, so he gave each of us a conscience to guide us in our life-choices. And because He loves us that much, He will not let us be content when we ignore our inner voice.

It’s better if the Lord doesn’t have to use stronger means to get our attention. Consider the Apostle Paul (formerly Saul) who was so stubborn that Jesus had to physically blind him to get his undivided attention. It is far more preferable to follow the lead of that quiet voice because the God who blinded Saul can still do the same to us today.

So this is how we know it is God calling us, our conscience or the Holy Spirit will continue to give us heart pangs until we respond according to the promptings. Trying to ignore them, suppress them or rationalize them away will only result in an uneasiness that will nag us until we obey comply or die. And that is no way to live.

So when that quiet inner voice begins tugging, listen and act accordingly. Relax in the knowledge that God wants to bless you with good things. It’s okay to ignore the voice once or twice to make sure it truly is God calling. But if it persist and it’s telling you to do something that will benefit others at least as much as you, then it is most likely God’s voice, so act. As an added confirmation, when you respond appropriately, God will bless you with more joy than you ever thought possible.