As human beings, we all long for a deeper connection with God. We want to hear His voice, feel His presence, and know that He is with us in our daily lives. But how can we achieve this? How can we hear God’s voice amidst the noise and chaos of our busy lives? Here are some practical ways to attune ourselves to God’s voice and learn important lessons on our journey toward deeper intimacy with Him.

Praying Is Like Throwing A Boomerang

One way to hear God’s voice is through prayer. However, at times, we may feel like our prayers go unanswered. We may wonder if God is really listening or if our words are just bouncing off the ceiling. The truth is that praying is like throwing a boomerang. Just as a boomerang returns to the person who throws it, our prayers will return to us in some way. They may not be answered in the way we expect or on our desired timeline, but they will be heard. As Matthew 7:7-8 says, “Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives; the one who seeks finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened.” So, keep throwing those prayers like a boomerang and have faith that they will return to you in some way.

Finding God In Abandonment

For several years, the final words of Jesus before His death on the Cross puzzled me. “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” (Matthew 27:46 and Mark 15:34). The word “forsaken” has many synonyms, and two that stand out to me are “quit” and “desert.” Let’s insert these words into the previous quote and read it again. On the Cross, Jesus cries out, “My God, my God, why have you quit on me and deserted me?” I believe everyone can relate to Christ’s words. In my own life, I have felt that God has quit on me too many times to count, and I may be experiencing a period of abandonment and loneliness currently.

Perhaps God is allowing me to suffer loneliness because He knows that this will redirect me back to the path of prayer. I acknowledge that I have not been the best Catholic. I have been impatient at work and home, allowing doubt to creep into my life. Maybe this spiritual abandonment is the greatest gift God can grant me now. Perhaps God is doing the same thing in your life. Let’s embrace this loneliness together and continue to hope in God’s Providence.

Suffering Teaches You Trust

In the face of grief and suffering, it may be challenging to hear God’s voice and trust in His providence. The experience of losing my unborn son through miscarriage has, over time, helped me find meaning and hope in tragedy. Through prayer, I have learned that time is a gift from God and can be used to display mercy towards oneself and others. Prayer multiplies time and transforms suffering from a destructive force to a purgative and possibly redemptive force.

Over the years, I have found comfort in what I call the sacrament of time. Though sadness remains, it has been transformed from despairing sadness to a joyful sadness. I was able to inspire others through my story and the funeral service for my unborn child. While the sacrament of time is not one of the seven sacraments, according to the Catechism of the Catholic Church, it can be seen as a gift from God that enables us to communicate with Him and display mercy towards others. We can find meaning and hope during grief and suffering through the sacrament of time.

Practical Ways To Attune Yourself To God’s Voice

Reading the Bible daily is one of the most straightforward ways to attune oneself to God’s voice. The Bible is often considered the primary way God communicates with us, and by reading it regularly, we can become more familiar with God’s message and His will for our lives. By meditating on Scripture, we can gain insights into our own struggles and develop a closer relationship with God.

One such impactful resource for me is the “Bible in a Year” podcast, which guides listeners through the entire Bible over the course of a year. This daily commitment to reading and reflecting on Scripture has helped me better discern God’s voice in my life.

Developing a heart of gratitude is of utmost importance in our journey to discover God’s voice. Gratitude opens our hearts and minds to the countless blessings and signs of God’s presence in our lives. When we cultivate a spirit of gratitude, we begin to recognize His hand at work in both the big and small moments of our daily existence. Gratitude shifts our focus from what is lacking to what is abundant, fostering a deeper appreciation for the goodness that surrounds us. Gratitude is like our spiritual oxygen; just as we need oxygen to live and think properly, we need the gift of gratitude to properly listen to God.

Furthermore, reading the writings of specific saints can also be incredibly helpful in attuning oneself to God’s voice. For example, St. Louis de Montfort’s “True Devotion to Mary” and St. Teresa of Avila’s “The Interior Castle” are two works that have deeply resonated with me and helped me better understand how God is speaking to me. These saints clearly articulate their experiences hearing God’s voice and offer practical advice for others seeking to do the same.

In our busy lives, it can be challenging to learn to pay attention to God’s voice. However, by incorporating these practical tips – prayer, reading the Bible daily, and reading the works of specific saints – we can learn to hear His voice in our daily lives. Remember that throwing our prayers out into the world is like throwing a boomerang – they will return to us in some way. Let us continue our journey towards deeper intimacy with God, trusting in His providence and seeking to hear His voice in our daily lives.

Image: Photo by Jonnelle Yankovich on Unsplashed