In early 2017 when I first discovered Christianity I had a transformative experience of discovering the ability to hear from God. This direct connection with His voice and His spirit brought me clarity, direction, and a sense of purpose to my daily life. I grew so much from praying with God, reading His word and could hear His voice whenever I reached out.
However, a shift occurred about 3 years later, leading to a perplexing silence and leaving me questioning my faith and relationship with God. The last few years I have worked through this period of 'dryness' with God, and He has ministered to me a powerful word that I want to share with anyone who is struggling to hear His voice.
The Struggle to Hear:
The daily routine of prayer, scripture reading, and spiritual reflection that once fostered a strong connection became an exercise in frustration. The familiar voice of God seemed distant, replaced by an unsettling silence.I experienced a period of confusion, questioning whether I still believed in God, and thought I must have done something to anger God. I started going through all the things I had recently done in my life, trying to find where I had been unfaithful. I worried that the job I had and the city I currently lived in were wrong, since they coincided with me losing my hearing of His voice.
Understanding Prophetic Gifts:
The Bible says that all Christians have access to the Holy Spirit, that we are 'indwelt' with Him. This means that we can pray and Holy Spirit will intervene on our behalf to the Father. It means we can feel conviction over sin and are enlightened in how we love those around us.
There are also Gifts of the Spirit, which Paul talks about in 1 Corinthians 12:8-10. Paul says that specific gifts such as supernatural wisdom, knowledge, faith, healing, miracles, prophecy, discerning of spirits, speaking in tongues, and interpretation of tongues can come upon believers at different times, and different between individuals.
Breaking Down the Barriers:
I came to realise and admit that my spiritual gift of knowledge and wisdom has been lifted. When I first realised this, I blamed myself, thinking I must have done something wrong to lose this gift. However, a gift is never yours to begin with. It always belongs to the Father and is shared with you for a time. God blessed me with having this gift for 2 years, and I am thankful for the time I had it. The journey towards hearing from God is not a transaction based on works or efforts. It's a gift freely given by God, and the ability to hear His voice should not be perceived as a reward for spiritual accomplishments.
A New Perspective:
In a moment of clarity, I felt the Holy Spirit whisper ," God is strengthening you to still believe in Him when you don't hear from Him. He is teaching you to be faithful even when you don't get all the answers". WOW. It was a bit of a slap in the face, but as I stewed it over I could tell that He was right. I had become dependent on God as my answering machine. Put in a question, and get out an answer. I had slipped in a year or two from being 'on fire' with God, to questionning if He was actually guiding me, all because of the removal of His voice. I had come to idolise the prophecies and the guidance more than Him.
It put me back onto my knees. Would I still want to seek Him and worship Him even if I heard nothing back? Would I still want to live a righteous lifestyle even if the relationship with God was removed? This was a strenghtening journey that I went on for a few years, building my knowledge of His word and character, outside of the gift of discernment.
Separating Emotions and Spirit:
But OH MAN was it hard!!! I am such an over thinker, and I really struggled to separate times that I was having an emotional response to something, and times I was getting a nudge from the Holy Spirit. It really forced me to depend back on knowledge of His word and His character - "what does the Bible say about this?"
Rather than depending on my feeling, I depended on the foundational cornerstone of His word and Christ's character - Something I can see now in reflection is much healthier for me to do. Our feelings can get mixed up with Holy Spirit nudges - and I can see now in reflection times where I did just that and called it 'knowledge' and 'wisdom.
Rediscovering God through His word:
I spent time creating a new routine of prayer. Since I no longer heard from God whilst reading my Bible, I instead started doing chapter studies on whole books. I would use commentaries and preaches that went through books in the Bible chapter by chapter to dig deep into the word, find links and metaphors and understand the cultural context behind the Bible.
I became hungry for preachers who taught deep. No longer satisfied by the 'feel good/ inspirational' messages that many churches preached, I searched for Biblical teachers who went deep into the word, and stuck to the Gospel.
I spent time going back through my old journals, reading back over His words and reminding myself of the sound of His voice so that I might recognise it again the day that it speaks. I reminded myself that relationship with Him is not about striving or proving myself, it is simply about surrendering to Him.
Embracing the Journey:
If you are reading this and are struggling through a dry season of hearing from God, I encourage you to remember that even though you can't feel Him, He is always there. God spoke life to creation around you. His breath and words created the trees, animals, and all life around you. Let go of trying to prove your worth to God, and enjoy learning about Him and everything He has done over thousands of years that have led up to this moment.
God works in mysterious ways, guiding our lives even when His voice may seem distant. Our transformation is evidence of His continuous presence and that He is truly the Living God!
Renewed Connection:
As I focussed less on hearing His voice and discerning His will, I have been blessed with increased spiritual hearing again. I have started to hear His voice, discern my path and get prophecies for others once more. But now, I know that my worth as a Christian and a believer is not dependent on how strong my gifts are. What matters is our heart for Christ, the depth of relationship and surrender I have towards God. So whilst in this season of dryness, remember that God still loves you dearly. He hasn't left you or abandoned you, but He is strengthening your faith to not depend on miraculous gifts, and instead build firm foundations in Biblical truth.
God bless you all <3
If you'd like to talk more about what you're going through, receiving Biblical advice, inspiration, encouragement and guidance, then book in for a Christian coaching session. I would love to work with you and support you on your journey with God.