4 Reasons Why We do not Hear from God or Understand What He is Doing

God is active.  Hebrews 4:12 tells us that God is expressing Himself, he is alive and active. (New Willie Translation) God is in motion, He is moving leading, (Romans 8:14 For those who are led by the Spirit of God are the children of God.) guiding, speaking and if we allow him, using everything to mold us shape us and transform us.  Romans 8:28 says “And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.”

Very often though we do not understand or comprehend what he is trying to do or accomplish in the situations around us or with the turmoil within us.  This can lead to frustration.  When we just wish that God would speak to us, that he would make it clear what He is trying to do and what exactly he expects of us in the process.  I believe this is the very thing God wants as well, for us to understand and know what He is trying to do and how we can co-operate.  This is what God says in Isaiah 43:19 “See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it? I am making a way in the wilderness and streams in the wasteland.” But there are a few things that tend to scramble the communication between God and us, a few things that block our understanding of what he is doing and wants.  We often live our spiritual lives in this world as if looking at the sky on a cloudy day.  We know the sun is there, but we can’t quite clearly define it or see it. 

Here are four things that may muddle our view and understanding and prevent us from clearly hearing or seeing God.

1.     We are trying to please people, not God.

Galatians 1:10 Am I now trying to win the approval of human beings, or of God? Or am I trying to please people? If I were still trying to please people, I would not be a servant of Christ. 

This can become tricky and can sneak up on us, after all the emotionally and mentally healthy person does not nor should they want to ignore or antagonize other people, but our natural desire to make people happy can lead us astray when it becomes more important than making God happy.  Being a “People Pleaser” is a condition many pe3ople can fall into.  Two reasons for this are first that we can usually tell easily and quickly if people are pleased with us, we see the facial expressions, we hear the praise of people.  The reward is generally immediate and tangible.  When the boss is pleased, we receive a paycheck, or a bonus and perhaps a raise.  When our family is ple3ased with us it often leads to rewards and privileges.  Even the most difficult people will generally hassle us less when we are acting in a way that pleases them. 

The second issue with this is as the Bible tells us, Romans 3:23 “All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.” That means there are many less than mature, godless, and downright broken that will make all sorts of requests or demand of us.  Many of whom will use all sorts of manipulation tactics in order to control us to get what they want. 

And if we are honest, we often, do it to others as well, we ask without thinking what it will cost someone else and we rarely truly consider the other person, their desires, and agenda above our own.  Even if that is exactly what Philippians 2:3 tells us to do.

But when we put pleasing other people over pleasing God, we end up with several different personalities to try to please, some of which may ask for contradictory behaviors from one another.  Not to mention that putting anything before God becomes a form of idolatry. 

So while we are commissioned to love others it should always be with a mindset as Hebrews 12:2 tells us to keep our eyes fixed on Jesus.

Often our issue is we are paying more attention to people than we are to God, and we miss his voice and instruction. 

2.      We are Trying to Please Ourselves

2 Timothy 3:1-5 But mark this: There will be terrible times in the last days. People will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boastful, proud, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, without love, unforgiving, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not lovers of the good, treacherous, rash, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God—

We call it human nature; the Bible calls it the sin nature or the “Flesh”.  We are born with it, and no one is immune.  Every child is born selfish and self-centered.  No infant considers first whether their parents are tired, they only know how they feel and if they are uncomfortable or hungry or tired, and until their condition is addressed, everyone else knows it too.

As we grow older the hope is that we learn to not make ourselves the center of the universe.  Some seem to achieve this understanding more than others.  While the level of our self-centeredness affects every relationship, it affects our relationship with God as well.  The whole point of living other-centered instead of self-centered is that we put our focus on some one or something else and take the focus off our selves.  Remember the key to not being selfish is not thinking less of yourself, it is just thinking of yourself less.  You are valuable and worthy of respect, so is everyone else.  And Jesus is worthy of ultimately all devotion and worship as the creator, sustainer, and Savior. 

When we are trying to please ourselves, the focus and attention is on us rather than God.  We have all been there, on one side of the conversation or the other, where one person is talking and the other may be standing right in front of them looking at them but mentally in another place thinking or focused on something else.  It is the same with us and God, God is right there with us, Psalm 139:7-12 tells us that we cannot escape his presence.  He is speaking and talking to us but if we are focused on ourselves, we cannot hear his voice, not because he isn’t speaking but because we are not paying attention. 

When we take the focus off what we want to happen and genuinely ask God to speak he will.  James 4:8 says Draw near to God and he will draw near to you. Focus on Him and He will speak more loudly and clearly. 

3.      Our Hearts have been Hardened by Sin.

Hebrews 3:8 Do not harden your hearts as you did in the rebellion, during the time of testing in the wilderness,

Unrepented and unaddressed sin on our lives dulls our spiritual senses.  Sometimes God will allow us to go through times of testing, to address certain habits and qualities that we hold on to.  If we cling to the comfort of sin we harden and dull our hearts to be able to receive wisdom, understanding from God.

God told the prophet In Isaiah 6:9 He said, “Go and tell this people: “’Be ever hearing, but never understanding; be ever seeing, but never perceiving.’

You see God knew he would never stop teaching and speaking but if the people were going to continue in their sin, and ignore God, He would make it so that they could not hear his voice or understand His counsel. 

God is relational, as are we since we are made in His likeness. (See Genesis 1:26).  So think about it, if you were talking to someone and they knowingly, and uncaringly persisted in behavior that you knew bothered you, how would that affect your relationships with them?  Or what if you gave advice and those you advised routinely did the exact opposite? 

Yet with God we often know what he views as sin, and we choose to do ti anyway.  Even when our conscience attempts to correct us, or God speaks to us of the dangers of our behavior. I have personally seen it where God has given me warnings, and even sent people into my life to correct me and I have ignored both and experienced more hurt that God had desired.   God desires to give us a soft heart to hear his voice and feel His presence, but sin causes that heart and conscience to be seared as with a Hot Iron.  (1 Timothy 4:2). 

Imagine a Blind person trying to read Brail. If their fingertips had been burned and calloused over it would be much more difficult for them to make out the words.  It is the same with our spiritual senses when they are dulled by sin.

4.      We are Pursuing Stuff instead of the Spirit

1 Timothy 6:10 For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil. Some people, eager for money, have wandered from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs.

Maybe you have heard this mis-quoted “Money is the root of all evil” if that is the case go back and read the verse again, very slowly.  Money is not evil.  In fact, God desires for us to prosper, as long as the stuff doesn’t replace Him.  All throughout scripture God tells us he wants us to abound in every good work (2 Corinthians 9:8). He gives us the ability to create wealth (Deuteronomy 8:18) and in 1 Timothy 6:17 it says God “richly provides us with everything for our enjoyment.”

But we just must be sure again where our focus is.  If we start pursuing stuff it does not speak and it becomes a great distraction.  Often there are things that God in His great wisdom may ask us to do that seem so backwards to us.  Proverbs 4 tells us” There is a way that appears to be right, but in the end, it leads to death.” God usually has a different a way of looking at things than we do.  He has a different perspective as He sits high on His throne (see Isaiah 55:8-9) God is a God of “Outa the Box Thinking”!  When we pursue stuff, we are looking at what seems to be the ways to increase our wealth and prosperity rather that what will bring Joy to God and letting him worry about providing us with gifts of blessing.  That is why Jesus said in Mathew 6:33 “But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.”

Earlier in the same chapter Jesus said (Mathew 6:24) “No one can serve two masters. Either you will hate the one and love the other, or you will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money.”

Either you will listen and look for Money and things or you will intently look for the will of God to be revealed.  But you will only ever to be able to look in one direction with adequate focus. 

Put God First

So it all comes down to focus.  If we put God first place in our lives, we will be able to hear him more clearly.  Will it be easy? No way!  It will still be challenging in 1 Kings 19:12 it is referred to as a whisper or as the King James version says, “A still small voice”.  Sometimes it will require waiting, sometimes it may require fasting, but if we are truly willing to pursue God with a sincere, patient, and devoted heart he loves to reveal His will to us and our lives.  Often it comes with our willingness to change and be more like Him which is His ultimate goals and desire.

Romans 12:2 Do not conform to the pattern of this world but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing, and perfect will.