Can You Hear Me Now?
I think most of us have had that moment where we’re on a phone call, the signal drops, and suddenly you’re talking to no one. You start pacing around the room like you’re searching for buried treasure, holding your phone in the air, saying, “Can you hear me now?” It’s funny… until it’s not. Especially when it happens at the worst possible time.
And honestly, a lot of Christians feel like that spiritually.
We love God. We pray. We try to listen. We want to follow His lead. But there are seasons when it feels like the “signal” just isn’t coming through. We start wondering, “Is that God? Is that just me? Why does this feel so fuzzy right now?” But here’s what Jesus says in John 10:27 — and He says it plainly: “My sheep listen to My voice.” He doesn’t say His sheep try to listen… or hope to listen… or struggle to listen; he says they do. That’s relationship language, that’s closeness, that’s familiarity. And that’s when it hits you: Most of the time, hearing God has less to do with Him speaking louder—and more to do with us moving closer. Think about it: when you’re walking right next to someone, they don’t have to shout; a whisper is enough. But the farther you drift, the easier it is to mistake other voices, noise, and distractions for what He’s actually trying to say. A weak signal doesn’t mean God’s gone quiet, it usually means we’ve wandered.
I think one of the biggest challenges isn’t that God is silent—it’s that our world is loud. We’re surrounded by noise, pressure, hurry, and a thousand things buzzing for our attention. Elijah expected God to be in the fire and the earthquake, but the voice came as a whisper. And that whisper was enough to change everything. Here’s the thing about whispers: You can only hear them when you slow down. Sometimes the Spirit nudges you with something so simple, like, “Wait,” “Apologize,” “Don’t send that,” “Pray for them,” “Trust Me here.” It’s not dramatic, it’s not flashy, but it is real. And more often than not, His direction comes through peace, not pressure.
God speaks clearly. We just have to create space quiet enough to hear Him. I’ve noticed in my own walk that when I actually pause long enough to be still, the clarity comes quickly. It’s almost embarrassing how fast it comes. I think it’s because the Shepherd was speaking the whole time—I just wasn’t close enough, calm enough, or quiet enough to catch it.
So if you’re in a season where you’re saying, “God, I can’t hear You,” maybe the question isn’t, “Is God speaking?” Maybe the better question is, “Have I slowed down long enough to listen?”
Here’s a simple way to start: Before you look at your phone in the morning—give God five minutes. No music, no noise, just quiet. Ask: “Holy Spirit, what are You saying today?”
Don’t force it, just listen, and write down whatever comes. Then take a step of obedience with whatever He shows you. You’ll be surprised how quickly the “signal” sharpens when you stop running, stop rushing, and just rest long enough to hear the whisper that’s been there all along. Because you’re not disconnected, you’re not forgotten, you’re not outside His reach. You’re one quiet moment away from clarity, and the Shepherd still knows how to speak to His sheep, even in a noisy world.
And honestly, a lot of Christians feel like that spiritually.
We love God. We pray. We try to listen. We want to follow His lead. But there are seasons when it feels like the “signal” just isn’t coming through. We start wondering, “Is that God? Is that just me? Why does this feel so fuzzy right now?” But here’s what Jesus says in John 10:27 — and He says it plainly: “My sheep listen to My voice.” He doesn’t say His sheep try to listen… or hope to listen… or struggle to listen; he says they do. That’s relationship language, that’s closeness, that’s familiarity. And that’s when it hits you: Most of the time, hearing God has less to do with Him speaking louder—and more to do with us moving closer. Think about it: when you’re walking right next to someone, they don’t have to shout; a whisper is enough. But the farther you drift, the easier it is to mistake other voices, noise, and distractions for what He’s actually trying to say. A weak signal doesn’t mean God’s gone quiet, it usually means we’ve wandered.
I think one of the biggest challenges isn’t that God is silent—it’s that our world is loud. We’re surrounded by noise, pressure, hurry, and a thousand things buzzing for our attention. Elijah expected God to be in the fire and the earthquake, but the voice came as a whisper. And that whisper was enough to change everything. Here’s the thing about whispers: You can only hear them when you slow down. Sometimes the Spirit nudges you with something so simple, like, “Wait,” “Apologize,” “Don’t send that,” “Pray for them,” “Trust Me here.” It’s not dramatic, it’s not flashy, but it is real. And more often than not, His direction comes through peace, not pressure.
God speaks clearly. We just have to create space quiet enough to hear Him. I’ve noticed in my own walk that when I actually pause long enough to be still, the clarity comes quickly. It’s almost embarrassing how fast it comes. I think it’s because the Shepherd was speaking the whole time—I just wasn’t close enough, calm enough, or quiet enough to catch it.
So if you’re in a season where you’re saying, “God, I can’t hear You,” maybe the question isn’t, “Is God speaking?” Maybe the better question is, “Have I slowed down long enough to listen?”
Here’s a simple way to start: Before you look at your phone in the morning—give God five minutes. No music, no noise, just quiet. Ask: “Holy Spirit, what are You saying today?”
Don’t force it, just listen, and write down whatever comes. Then take a step of obedience with whatever He shows you. You’ll be surprised how quickly the “signal” sharpens when you stop running, stop rushing, and just rest long enough to hear the whisper that’s been there all along. Because you’re not disconnected, you’re not forgotten, you’re not outside His reach. You’re one quiet moment away from clarity, and the Shepherd still knows how to speak to His sheep, even in a noisy world.
Posted in Sermon Study Guides
Recent
Archive
2025
September
October
November