The first time I received the gift of speaking in tongues was in late 2016. Following this, I became curious about hearing from God, as those around me who also spoke in tongues claimed to be receiving messages and visions from Him.
Eager to experience the same, I sought guidance from a church leader on how to hear from God. His simple answer was, “Open your heart to God”. I then went ahead to ask exactly how to go about it and the leader let out a small chuckle and did not provide a clear answer.
This encounter left me wondering why others could hear from God but couldn’t explain the process to me.
Frustrated, I embarked on a personal journey to hear from God, seeking to understand what it truly meant to receive messages from Him. This marked the beginning of my journey in hearing from God through speaking in tongues.
In the days that followed, I persisted in speaking in tongues because I had been advised that the more devout I was, the more likely I was to receive divine communication. Therefore, I continued to pray and to attend prayer sessions and fellowships.
This routine persisted until a particular fellowship in 2017. During this gathering, after praying in tongues, the meeting leader concluded by inviting anyone who had received a message from God to come forward and share with the group. Several individuals stepped forward and shared their revelations, as I remained in place, having not heard from God.
To my surprise, one of the believers who had heard from God pointed at me and claimed that God had given me a message; Yet, to the best of my knowledge, I had not received any divine communication.
Confused, I came forward and expressed my uncertainty about God having spoken to me. They then enquired if I had seen a vision during my prayers.
During the prayer session, I distinctly recall witnessing a man on a horse, dressed as a cowboy and with a cowboy hat. He was seated on a horse in a farm, surrounded by hay. There were sheep feeding on the dry grass.
I shared the vision with the rest of the congregation. The vision was interpreted as a representation of Jesus being our Shepherd, caring for us as His flock. This interpretation made a lot of sense to me and confirmed that what I had seen was not merely my imagination.
From that day forward, whenever I prayed in tongues and witnessed anything, I would share it with others. Some of the visions I saw were quite ordinary, causing me to question whether they were my own thoughts or messages from God.
However, we were encouraged to share everything we saw, as we were new to this experience and open to correction if necessary; and so, I began openly sharing the things I would see during prayer.
Hearing from God about my marriage
In 2020, there was a significant shift in my spiritual journey when it came to hearing from God. At the time, I was facing concerns surrounding my marriage and meeting my ideal partner.
I had observed other believers claim that God had spoken to them about their partners, leading to marriages. Determined, I decided to try and seek God’s guidance for myself. However, I struggled with how to pray effectively, as there was no clear guidance on the process.
Despite my initial attempts to ask direct questions, I did not receive any communication from God. This led me to question whether I was truly hearing from Him or if I was approaching it the wrong way. I dedicated myself to prayer and fasting in order to seek clarity and guidance.
I prayed continuously for a year without receiving any answers. Despite facing frustrations from the dating scene, I still persisted in speaking in tongues concerning my marriage. I was on the verge of giving up on waiting for a divine sign and resorted to the conventional way of finding a partner.
However, during a fast while speaking in tongues, a name suddenly came to my mind – that of a church leader. I reached out to him, explaining my prayers about marriage and how his name had come to me. He then helped me make sense of the messages God had been trying to convey to me all along.
Through our discussions, I began to understand the dreams and visions I had previously experienced. At this point, I realized that God had indeed been speaking to me, although in a way I couldn’t comprehend at first.
This incident stands out as a clear memory of God communicating with me, and finally helping me grasp the messages He had been sending regarding my marriage.
Why it’s hard to explain hearing from God
In all honesty, it can be difficult to articulate the experience of hearing from God. In my personal experience, I have come to realize that God intentionally makes it challenging to put into words what it means to hear His voice.
This is because God desires for everyone to hear directly from Him. He understands that humans often seek shortcuts, so if there were a simple formula for hearing from God, people might rely on it without truly seeking a personal connection with Him.
Instead, they might turn to a spiritual leader and ask for guidance without putting in the effort to hear from God themselves; Yet God desires a personal relationship with each one of us.
He may point us to someone who can help us along the way, but ultimately, He wants to teach us how to hear His voice on our own. One way to do this is by focusing on speaking in tongues as well as asking questions and seeking guidance from seasoned believers.
I hope you find this helpful in your journey to hearing from God. Blessings!