Why Can’t I Hear the Voice of God?

Do you want to hear the voice of God more in your life? For many of us, hearing the voice of God is a constant struggle. Dr. Sri recommends that in order to hear the voice of God, we need more silence in our lives. He offers four ways to build moments of silence into our daily lives.

Snippet from the Show
“The more we receive in silent prayer, the more we can give in our active life”
- Mother Teresa

The Prophet Elijah and Silence

In 1 Kings 19:11-13 the prophet Elijah is seeking the voice of God. As he listens, an earthquake, wind, then fire each come. However, Elijah does not hear God’s voice in any of them. Finally, Elijah hears God in a still small voice. God cannot be found in noise. He is found in silence.

Silence Throughout Our Day

It is not enough to pray once a day in silence. If every other part of our day is filled with noise and distraction, that will follow us into our time of prayer. As we attempt to pray in silence, the music we were just listening to will still fill our ears. The episode we just watched will continue to play in our heads. If we desire to hear the voice of God in the silence of prayer, we must build in more moments of silence throughout our entire day.

Mother Teresa on Silence

“We need to find God and God cannot be found in noise and restlessness. God is the friend of silence. See how nature–trees and flowers and grass–grow in silence. See the stars, the moon and the sun, how they move in silence. The more we receive in silent prayer, the more we can give in our active life.” Before the smartphone, before so many of the distractions we now face, Mother Teresa saw how badly people needed silence. To her, the lack of silence in people’s lives was one of the greatest crises in the world.

Kierkegard on Silence

“If I were a doctor and I could prescribe just one remedy for all the ills of the modern world, I would prescribe silence. For even if the word of God were proclaimed in the modern world, no one would hear it, because of the panoply of noise. Therefore, create silence.”

4 Ways to Build Silence into Your Day

1. Start the Day with Silence
   • Instead of grabbing your phone, fall to your knees in prayer.
   • Rather than looking at a screen, look to Scripture.
   • Instead of listening to music, a podcast, or other form of media, listen for the voice of God.
     
2. Find Silence in the Midst of Your Day
   For 15 seconds or a few minutes, pause, recollect, and take a moment to think or say a short prayer.

3. Find Silence at Night before Bed
   Rather than spending time on your phone or binging a TV show, be with the people in your life. Take time for silence and read Sacred Scripture or read from the saints.

4. Media Fast
   It is good for anyone to take a brief or longer fast from media. This could mean choosing one day a week to disconnect for electronics. Or perhaps, you could choose to fast from it for all of Lent. If Lent is a ways away, you could also simply do a personal detox.

Check out the book Digital Minimalism by Cal Newport.

Upcoming Events with Dr. Sri

July 22-23: Couples Retreat - Archdiocese of Arlington VA
July 27-29: Applied Biblical Studies Conference - Franciscan University/Steubenville OH
July 29-31: Defending the Faith - Franciscan University/Steubenville OH
Aug 5-7: Faith on Fire Family Weekend - Anacortes WA
Aug 26-29: Jesus Youth National Conference - Newtown UK
Sept 8-9: Legatus - Orlando FL
Sept 23-24: Diocese of Springfield Conference - Springfield MO
Oct 14-15: Diocese of Cape Girardeau Conference - Cape Girardeau MO
Oct 28-29: Marian Eucharistic Conference - Greenville SC
Nov 18-20: St. Maximilian Kolbe Knights of the Immaculata Men's Retreat - Malvern PA
Nov 19: Diocese of Allentown Men's Conference - Allentown PA