Hearing God’s Voice over Criticism

My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me. (John 10:27 ESV)

If the Lord has ever given you a dream, you’ve probably dealt with naysayers as you’ve worked toward that dream. As many people as might cheer you on, just as many might criticize you either in envy or oblivious to the negative effects of their comments. The bigger the dream, the louder the criticism will seem.

When I stop, listen, and linger on the criticisms of my detractors, I find myself distracted, stalled, and drowning in waves of doubt. Yet when I listen for and hear God’s whispering voice, I am better able to continue toward my calling, with focus and in confidence.

Lately, hearing what I need has been a challenge. I’ve experienced many voices attempting to muffle the one true voice I am called to follow: Jesus’ voice. I have found my mind and heart adrift in  rougher  waters. I’ve experienced heavy doubt that there’s a viable way to continue toward my calling.

Sometimes it takes other people sharing their experiences to help us hear God’s voice, to pull us from the undercurrent. A trusted friend’s voice in unison with Christ’s raises the volume from a quiet whisper to a more audible reminder of what we know is true.

This happened to me recently as I struggled not only with criticism, but also with writing and navigating what subjects or stories I should or shouldn’t write. I felt overwhelmed by the many voices muffling Christ’s loving, encouraging, and faithful one. An experienced writing friend reached out when she realized just how debilitated I felt in my writing. She shared a portion of her experience in dealing with knowing how, when, for whom, or what to write about. She encouraged me to focus on the voice of the one person I want most to hear from: Jesus. She wrote me words of wisdom, experience, and truth.

As I read her words, I felt my heart leap in agreement with what she shared. Every word she wrote was a word I needed to hear in that moment.

I heard Christ’s gentle voice rise from a hushed whisper and unfold into an assured proclamation.

His voice of peace.

His voice of confidence.

His voice of majesty.

His voice of faithful steadfastness and strength.

His voice of delight in me right where I am, even in my messy moments.

I felt myself regain clarity, self-control, and focus almost immediately as her words washed like a healing balm over my soul. All the harsh, critical words of just days before began to fade, and I began to experience the righting of my boat back into the calm current toward the destination of my God-given dream. I was reminded of how the journey toward our dreams–the experiences we glean, the people we meet, the friends we gain, and the love we receive–is just as important as arriving at the destination, if not more.

When we listen for God’s voice along the way, though the voices of critics may threaten our journey, we will hear it in new and exciting ways. And when we are open to however he chooses to speak, rather than how we expect to hear him, we will find we hear him more often.

Brianna George is a speaker, teacher, and missionary as well as a part-time writer and full-time encourager. She lives in central Tennessee with her husband of twelve years, two spicy little boys, and Bosa the boxer. More of her writing can be found at unveiledandrevealed.com.